Call Me Mommy
by Der-Fuchsprophet
Summary: It only seemed natural for Ken to call Minato 'mom'. But when Minato legally adopts Ken, the young Persona-user puts a lot of thought into who the other parent should be. Not shota!
1. Chapter 1

Hey

Hey. This will be one of my few chapter-based fanfics, alright? I'm only writing this because I feel I can finish it. And I know that Spoodle-Gamer is looking forward to this little fic (as we've been writing emails to each other daily), which is probably helpful in finishing the story. (hahah)

So, basically, this is the way I see Ken, through Ken's POV. I read a cute little 4koma a while back where Ken asked Minato (the main character) if he could call him 'mom' (to which he had to compete for against Pharos), which lead to my favoring of a 'Ken Arisato' scenario. Doesn't Minato seem like he would be a good mother, anyway?

Anyway, this fic is NOT shotacon, but it is incredibly fluffy and will rot your teeth out if you aren't careful. This will be relatively short, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless.

Disclaimers for the fiction:

Persona 3, its storylines and its characters are (c) Atlus

My attempt to recreate these character's personalities is personally biased and therefore non-canon.

+CHAPTER ONE+

I had never imagined that I would ever regain a family after my mother died. I had appreciated the hospitality of the students in the dorm, but didn't really see them as a family of mine. I felt out-of-place. I looked towards Akihiko-senpai, who was renowned for being strong despite any disadvantages thrown at him. He had guts to compensate for his relatively slim build, which was often a slight disadvantage in boxing, since a punch is always magnified by how much muscle mass (even from the tips of your toes) could summon the energy for a punch.

I never got too close to Yukari, since she seemed like the typical high school girl. If it weren't for her hurting side, which we all shared as our Personas, I probably wouldn't like her. Mitsuru-senpai was aloof, in her own world of thought that made her eyebrows furrow. I imagine that her first wrinkles would be those thoughtful between-the-eyebrows wrinkles. And Fuuka was kind, but quite overly cautious when she spoke, which made it awkward.

Junpei-san was loud, and sometimes a little annoying, but his good heart made him tolerable. Though it was no contest when I was allowed the chance to avoid him. He was very critical of me, and saw me as a little kid. Shinjiro was also aloof, and I bet his face would always be stuck in an angry scowl. I wondered if a unicorn (other than Minato-san's persona) would appear if he smiled. Aigis was always a little creepy to talk to... I was a little intimidated by the fact that she wasn't human. Koromaru, as the other non-human Persona-user, was a bit easier to spend time with. He was a dog, and had all the best traits of dogs, and was intelligent and would listen patiently if you spoke with him. But best of all, he didn't ask questions.

It took a while for these impressions of everyone in the dorm to change. But my impression of Minato never changed. From the start, I felt him silently radiate kindness and loving, and it was very strange at first. I hung back a bit, trying to distance from him, but he made sure that I was in his sight, and that he was in mine. Perhaps the best part about Minato is that he did not force his concern on me, but rather left himself available for consort or comfort.

At Shinjiro-san's death, I had run away. Akihiko was the one who came for me. I was a little bitter that it wasn't Minato, and I intended to ignore him as a result. I don't know why I reacted that way--perhaps I am still a child at heart. But upon my return, that feeling quickly went away when I saw Minato-san's soft face, barely betraying his worry for me. But unlike Yukari and Fuuka, who smothered me in their expressions of relief, and unlike Mitsuru, who kept her emotions in balance while voicing her own signs of concern, Minato merely stood in the back, looking at me with his silvery eyes. His eyes, which were so full of emotion that I felt myself falling into them. When I looked into those eyes, I could see all of his emotions. Everything he wanted to say, but wouldn't spare his voice for, lest someone who the statement was not directed towards should hear it.

I found myself trailing him like a baby duckling a lot after that. He said nothing, and it wasn't very obvious to anyone else (or at least I liked to think so). Without thinking one night, I woke from a nightmare, shaking and crying, and wobbled into Minato's room. I moved as silently as I could, but my sniffling woke him up and he rolled over to look at me. The surprise in those silver-dollar eyes was a little surprising in and of itself, and I blinked. The surprise quickly turned to concern, and he voiced his private message to me in the dark, silent bedroom, "Ken-kun, what's wrong?" His voice was so soft. If one didn't know better, one would think he was a mute. As soft as his speech was, his vocal cords must have very rarely been used. But that voice was calming. It was soft, and subtle, like a gentle breeze against my tear-stained cheeks and red-hot ears. I tried to reply, a pitiful squeak escaping me. When I tried to use my vocal cords, I found myself gasping for breath and sobbing again. Minato sat up in his bed, offering space for me. I didn't approach at all. "Ken-kun..." his sweet voice ushered again. It felt so familiar... this comfort...

"I-I h-h-h-had a n-n-n-nightm-mare," I finally whimpered. I sobbed a bit more, the words bringing back the images that had startled me so violently that they had woken me from sleep. I tried not to shake, and I hugged my shoulders, which made breathing harder on me. Minato reached out towards me, pulling my arms out and holding my hands in his.

"Come on," he whispered gently, smiling reassuringly, "Sleep in here tonight." I looked at his eyes, and saw the rest of his message. 'I'll protect you,' he said with his stormy silver eyes. Those beautiful eyes, the gateway into his soul. His real voice. With a nod, I crawled under his sheets, and snuggled up against him. He draped an arm around my shoulder, and rested his face in my hair. His steady breathing calmed mine, and my sobs faded as he gently rubbed my back. "Good night, Ken-kun," his breezy voice whispered to me.

"...G'night, mum..." I mumbled. I felt his hand stop on my back for a brief second, before giving me a gentle squeeze.

"You want to... _adopt_ him?" Mitsuru asked skeptically. She eyed me before turning her gaze back to Minato. "Why is that?"

"On what premises are we keeping him here?" Minato asked. I was a little surprised with the firmness of his voice. The determination behind it. His vocal eyes nearly glowed with that same flame.

"Well, that's complicated..."

"And this is a simple solution," Minato objected before Mitsuru could find more words to support her arguement. Not only was Minato a good fighter, he was incredibly good with debate. He started with a shaking statement and barely allowed the other side to argue against it. But the genius of it was that he let them make at least one statement, to which he very swiftly retaliated. I can't imagine even Mitsuru being able to compete against him. Minato truly was the ace of all trades. "I don't want to loose him to uncertainty. Not only is he invaluable as a member of S.E.E.S., I have personal feelings towards him, and want to be able to protect him. I want him to stay with us. Perhaps, even selfishly, I want him to stay with me."

"...I really don't know how to respond to all of this..." Mitsuru admitted weakly. Minato had beaten her before she had ever gotten back up.

"Is this... even legal?" Junpei asked, a skeptical look on his face.

"I was wondering that, too," Yukari asked, a little questionable herself, "Ken-kun, are you sure you're fine with this?"

"Of course!" I responded quickly, unlike how I usually answered these guys. Normally, I would respond slowly, working the words over in my head. But I decided to do the same as Minato, and to try and plow my statement out into the open before the gates closed. "I... really love Minato! He doesn't try and force me to feel better, and when I'm sad, he doesn't say anything. He just holds his arms open and lets me seek comfort. My... my mom used to do that." I sighed. I figure that's why Minato was always my favorite, is because he reminded me of my mom. "I'd rather live with Minato than with any of my other relatives anyway. Minato cares more about me than they do. They just pity me, they don't care at all about me."

"Ken-kun..." Yukari sighed, a worried look on her face. It was soon replaced with a little smile. "You two are kinda cute. You're like little clones." I looked up at Minato, and he looked down at me. I realized then that we had been standing in the exact same fighting stance, wearing the same expression on our faces, and even keeping the same tone to our voices. Minato's soft laugh came from him, quiet and cute. My own laugh came from me, and although I didn't dislike my laugh, it surely didn't compare to how beautiful Minato's was. I smiled at him. Everything about him was perfect, or balanced. I knew then that Minato was the person that I wanted to be. Mitsuru's surrendering sigh brought our attention back to the matter.

"If that's what you both want, I suppose we can arrange it," she said cautiously. Big smiles covered not only our faces, but everyone else's, as well. Minato always got what he wanted, anyway.

Now I could really devote myself to Minato. I could really consider myself as having a parent. I finally had a mom again.


	2. Chapter 2

Hahah, seems my story was a lot less shotacon than I thought it would be. I got three reviews on the first day!! D

I don't know if I'll be able to keep this updating pace, but we'll see... as for time frame, I'm still not sure when exactly this takes place... that's a lot of math that I just don't want to do right now. But it's going to get even more and more non-canonical. Take it for the entertainment value. (laughs) I hope to touch on all of the possible S.Links (save for, perhaps, the old people) that are potential pairs for Minato. That'll give Ken a lot to chew on.

I'm not going to include s.links until I complete them, so there's going to be some time in between chapters for that sake. I may have to play the game several times through to finaly come up with a successful schedule for S.links. (laughs)

By the way, the rating is K+ because of the themes of bisexuality in the storyline. The sexuality of the bisexuality is nonexistant, and I believe that although I personally see it as a completely harmless subject, it does deserve some recognition as immoral by some others. And while I completely disagree with their opinion, I will still respect it. Minato's bisexuality is modelled off of my own; it is more of a romantic interest than a sexual one. That's my disclaimer, which I probably should have included in chapter one (but am too lazy to go back and fix)

+CHAPTER TWO+

It was, to say the least, _interesting_ to explain these things to Aigis. And I had waited until Minato was gone to tell her. I really shouldn't have done that, I suppose. It was very hard for me to communicate with her.

"According to my database," she began in her monotone voice, "An average family unit consists of a 'mother', a 'father', and 1.29 children. The family unit you claim to have established is contradictory to this information."

"You don't have to have both parents to have a family," I explained, thinking of my mother.

"Of course. There are always outliers when an average is given," Aigis responded. I frowned. I couldn't read the tone in her voice, which made it impossible for me to fully understand what she was saying to me. I listened for the tone in people's voices and the expression in their eyes when they spoke. Aigis had neither, and it was really difficult for me to fully understand the meaning behind her words at times. "However, according to my database, the 'mother' is the female representative in the role of 'parenthood'."

"...Huh?"

"You address Minato-sama as 'mother'. Would it not be more accurate to address him as 'father'?"

"I have my own reasons," I responded curtly. I pouted. I felt like she was making fun of me, though I know for a fact that she wasn't.

"What happens when he establishes a family unit with a female? Does he remain the 'mother' at that time?" I imagine what Aigis was doing was simply trying to determine the legistics of my family with Minato, but I was really getting annoyed with it. But her inquiry hurt me, and I started to worry. What happens if Minato gets married?

"Maybe I'll start it with a male," Minato interupted, startling me. I spun around and hugged him around the waist before standing to his side.

"Your bonding with a male would categorize you as a homosexual," Aigis processed. Minato smiled softly at her.

"I am bisexual, Aigis. Do you understand what that means?" I looked up at him, a little surprised. I had never thought of what sexuality Minato had, but it was a real shocker nonetheless to imagine him dating someone indiscriminately. Or rather, anyone at all. I frowned.

"It means you are compatible with both men and women."

"That's right." I felt my frown deepen. He liked both men and women? That meant that someday, I would probably have a second parent, anyway.

But no one deserved him. I didn't deserve him, either, but he chose me. ..._He_ chose _me_. He chose to adopt me. I didn't deserve that, but that's what made him happy. I huffed, a new resolve in my heart. I would make sure that Minato would date only the person that would make him happy! I wouldn't let him be hurt by someone!

I then eyed Aigis. I remembered what she said about Minato when she first arrived at the dorm, and I remember overhearing Yukari argueing about Aigis. I remember Aigis insisting to remain by Minato's side, requesting to sleep in Minato's room, and I remember hearing Minato's soft response of, _"You can stay here..."_ I eyed Aigis even more suspiciously.

"With whom do you intend to complete the family unit?" Aigis inquired. I looked up at Minato, who looked down at me, and pat my head reassuringly.

"I haven't decided yet. In fact, I love everyone equally. All of the people I've come to be familiar with, I consider my family. I'm leaving it up to Ken to decide."

"Up to me??" I asked, a little surprised. Scratch that: a lot surprised. "Why me??"

"Because they're going to be your other mother or father, Ken-kun," Minato chuckled, smiling gently down at me. "I'll introduce you to all of them. That way, you can make the decision for me."

"But, why me? Why don't you pick for yourself??"

"Because I love them all anyway," he repeated, "And I want your happiness more than a date."

"It's really all up to me?" I asked, a little excited that Minato was trusting me with something so big. He nodded and smiled. I nearly jumped up and down with excitement. "W-wow, well, how many people are candidates?"

"Good question," Minato said, eyes trailing off thoughtfully. "I never really counted them."

"Wow, a lot of people?" I asked, a big smile covering my face. Of course Minato had a bunch of friends. He was the best person alive. I glanced once more at Aigis, then looked up at Minato. "Hey, why did you tell Aigis that she could stay in your room?"

"Huh? Oh, that was a long time ago..." Minato responded, rubbing the back of his head, "Mostly because I wasn't intimidated by her."

"What'dya mean?"

"She's a robot, not a real human girl. I wasn't worried about what she might do to me in the middle of the night," Minato responded.

"...? This trail of logic is beyond my comprehension," Aigis interjected.

"Yukari was concerned because of the biology of humans," Minato answered. He was almost as precise in his words as Aigis, "Humans, like most animals, have instincts directed towards reproductive needs. Yukari was concerned that either I would fall to my instincts or that you would simulate them."

"I comprehend," she acknowledged, seeming very satisfied with this knowledge. "Therefore, Yukari separated us?"

"That's right. We didn't know how capable you were of simulating human biology. I personally believe that you do not simulate instinctual reproductive behavior, and that is what led me to believe it was fine for me to share my room with you. Yukari decided that it was better to avoid even the slightest possibility."

"I comprehend," Aigis repeated, then gesturing towards me, "Then how does that simulation work with Ken-kun?"

"He's not even old enough," Minato answered, "And as his mother, that behavior is out-of-the-question, anyway."

"I comprehend."

"Does that answer your questions? Or yours, Ken-kun?" Minato's voice was as blank as his eyes. I was a little surprised at that face. Minato's eyes then softened for me, and a smile graced his lips. "Why don't we call you 'sick' tomorrow? We can meet with a good number of my friends that way. How does that sound?"

"I'm... going to school with you tomorrow?" I asked, excitement crossing my features. A mischevious grin covered his face. I matched that grin. Minato was as dirty a player as any slacker or punk, but had the brains to make it nearly impossible to get in trouble. If Minato made the plans, then there was no way that anything would stop it.

I was invited to attend the last block of one of Minato's classes, escaping elementary school on the premises of 'illness', and rather than going back to an empty (and therefore dangerous for an elementary-school kid) dorm, I waited in the company of my mother.

In Minato's classroom, I sat silently next to him, listening to the lesson and surprised by the amount of the material I was actually familiar with. Through Ms. Toriumi's lengthy lecture, though, Minato's cell phone rang, making everyone, including Minato himself, jump. Minato hastily took out his phone and checked the number, frowning at the number of what was surely a telemarketer. Ms. Toriumi frowned at Minato.

"Minato-kun, I expected you to be better than that," she critisized, approaching. Her presense was huge when she was angry. She held out her hand to take his phone, and said, "Sorry, but rules are rules."

Minato mumbled a quick "I'm sorry" before handing his cell phone to her, and turning back to his notes. She concluded her lesson, and sat down after giving the class an assignment. She looked to the phone's screen, and went wide-eyed as a result. I don't know what was on that phone, but she recognized what it was.

After class, she called Minato to talk to her in private, and I followed close behind. She made a slight protest, but allowed me to stay with my mom. She instead turned to Minato, holding his phone out so that he could see his own wallpaper. I looked at it, seeing an image of what looked like computer graphics of someone who wrote 'i luv you' in the sand.

"Minato-kun, can you tell me where you found this image?"

"I think you know where it came from, Maya," Minato responded softly, a slightly sly grin in his eyes as his face remained level. 'Maya' turned bright red.

"M-Minato-kun, you're...?? You're Tatsuya??" she stammered, her face going red. The grin in Minato's eyes finally graced his lips, and I couldn't help but match it. From what I was gathering, the two had met online, and Minato had figured out who she was before she even had a clue. "So, all of that bitching I did to you--"

"Don't curse in front of my son," Minato chuckled, a slightly dark look flashing in his gaze. I nearly jumped at that, a little startled by his reaction. I recalled one of the previous explorations of Tartarus, when Shinjiro-san had cursed at some point in battle... and Minato had given him a fierce uppercut and had snarled, 'don't curse in front of children'. "Yes, I am Tatsuya. And no, I'm not upset with you, if that's what you're so embarassed about. I never was."

"O-oh, I see..." the formerly aggressive Ms. Toriumi now seemed rather meek and flustered. I frowned as I recognized that body language. Did she have a crush on Minato?

"It was rather awkward when you admitted that you were stalking me," Minato teased, the playful grin growing.

"Oh, right, Minato-kun, I'm sorry I didn't... well, approach you sooner," Toriumi blushed, starting to regain her composure. "It probably would've been better if you had just said no in the first place."

"Well, I do admit..." Minato sighed, the smile still on his face. The smile in his eyes changed, though. It went from humor to an emotion I didn't really understand then. "...I do love you. You remind me very much of my mother, and you're very supportive of me. I'm just uncomfortable with intimate relationships."

"Oh, I understand," Toriumi sighed, looking at him understandingly. "But, to be honest, I'm a little surprised, Minato-kun. You lost your parents, but... you're a very upbeat kid." I looked back at Minato. So the 'upbeat kid' was the Minato that Toriumi saw. "And I knew you were mature, but I'm a little impressed that you took up the responsibility to adopt a son..."

"He needed me," Minato said softly, another nameless emotion crossing his eyes. That expression was difficult to name, but definately a heart-warming one. He looked to me, smiling softly. "Right, Ken-kun? Or was I just selfish?" he added with a laugh. I frowned, a little offended that he had downplayed himself.

"No way! I mean, how could that possibly be selfish? To take care of me is one of the most selfless things ever," I added, unable to really voice my words. "...And, well, I love you, mom. I want the best for you."

"I can say the same to you," he responded, going a little pink at what I said. I beamed, feeling a childish energy surging through me as I found the trigger for Minato's blush.

"I love you! You're the best mom ever!" I said, hugging his arm. Toriumi smiled brightly at us, no doubt finding us cuter than anything she'd ever seen. And, as predicted, Minato turned pinker every time I said it. "Toriumi-san, do you love Minato?"

"...I do," she chuckled, smiling at me, "And I can see why he likes you. I won't make him like me, though. I just want what's best for him, just like you."

"Thank you for understanding, Toriumi-san," Minato responded softly, "Actually, Ken's the one who's going to decide who his other parent will be. He'll have a much easier time choosing."

"How cute..."

"Minato-kun!" a rather stern voice called. I turned to see a relatively tall student wearing a yellow arm-band approaching us. I looked up at Minato, and saw that strange emotion a second time.

"Hidetoshi-kun. Is there a meeting today?" Minato asked him, his eyes glazed with that weird emotion again.

"No, but I did want to talk to you. Ms. Toriumi," Hidetoshi apologized with a nod of his head. Ms. Toriumi gave my shoulder a pat before she walked back to her classroom. Hidetoshi returned his focus to Minato. "What's this I hear about you being a father?"

"He adopted me," I interjected before Minato said anything. Hidetoshi gave me a skeptical look. I frowned. Minato giggled at Hidetoshi's facial expression.

"You look confused, Hide-kun," he ushered in his soft voice. It was a different soft than what I was used to. It was a little more vocal, and sounded more enfused with wisdom than laced with affection, like my special Minato voice was. For Hidetoshi, Minato was the Minato of the Student Council; a quiet boy with silent confidence, like a silent lioness as opposed to a roaring, boasting lion. Yet another reason I called him 'mom', I suppose. "It's a bit of a story."

"I would imagine..." he said, trying to look intimidating as he stared down at me. If I didn't pay so much attention to people's eyes and voices, I probably would've been nervous from the facial expression he gave me. But a spark of curiousity behind his eyes discredited his glare. "What's your name, boy?"

"Ken," I responded quickly, bowing respectively, "Arisato Ken."

"And you're Minato-kun's son?" he inquired, still testing the theory. "I find this a little hard to swallow. Why would you adopt in high school, Minato-kun?"

"I didn't want to wait for someone else to adopt him," Minato responded, "He lost his mother a couple of years ago, and has been temporarily staying at our dorm. I adopted him before his relatives took custody of him, since I grew affectionate towards him."

"Affectionate?" Hidetoshi asked, skepticism entering his tone.

"Yes. I lost my own parents about ten years ago, and I didn't want him to be alone for that long. He started calling me 'mom', so I made sure I kept custody of him."

"So it's sympathy," Hidetoshi said, finding it a little distasteful. He did, however, soften his expression when Minato shared his past. "I apologize about you parents."

"It's alright," Minato responded, a meek smile on his face, "I've gotten over it. I've had ten years to get over it. I've lived by myself so long, I'd forgotten what it was like to have a family. I didn't want Ken to forget that." I looked up at Minato, feeling my heart get warm. He just added another reason for his actions, and probably inadvertently raised my respect and love for him even more. He would never replace my mother, but he was very quickly becoming just as important to me. Just because he would never replace my mother didn't mean that he would never be as important to me as she had been. I smiled so brightly at Minato that I thought the skin at the corners of my lips would rip open. Hidetoshi chuckled at us.

"I'm impressed, Minato-kun. You're very mature for your age. No wonder so many people respect you," he complimented, "And no wonder Mitsuru-senpai entrusted you with the Student Council. Ah, on that note... how exactly did you manage to bring your son here?"

"I wrote him a note of excuse to the elementary school, excusing him on the premise that he was ill, and wrote an explanitory note to the school explaining why he can't wait at the dorm by himself. It was relatively simple."

"You're pretty sly. Good thing you're typically a rule-abider, huh?" Hidetoshi chuckled. "Do you want to go out and do something? We rarely spend time together outside of school."

"Do you mind if we go to a book store?"

"A book store? What for?"

"I'm friends with the old couple who own Bookworms," Minato said, smiling. I looked up at him. He had a different expression on his face now. It was... youthful. Like a kid bragging about his parents. Hidetoshi didn't seem to translate this very well.

"Really? Well, I suppose we could. I don't see why not..."


	3. Chapter 3

Someone asked if I had a pairing in mind. My answer? No. There wasn't supposed to be a pairing. (laughs) In fact, there is no outstanding pair - Minato is compatible with EVERYONE. The one who gets the most love will be Akinari, since he's dying soon, and he's in the last chapter.

I have also established a visual theme to these S.Links. Minato sees the tarot cards, but what do these guys see? This chapter should convey that image to you. (laughs) Sorry it's so blatantly obvious.

So, yeah. I have to finish the S. Links before I can really piece together more chapters. There should be some delay as I strive to get that done.

+CHAPTER THREE+

As we stood on the train, Hidetoshi chuckled at me. I looked up, curious, and asked, "What? What's so funny?"

"You look like a miniature Minato," he commented, grinning. I looked at Minato, and noticed that although he was silently listening to his headphones, he was holding the pole with the same arm, in the same slouch, and the same position as I was. He felt me looking at him, and met my eyes. We exchanged a smile, and he returned to his daydreaming. I gave Hidetoshi a similar smile, and his grin turned into a confused frown, a slight bit of color reaching his ears. He had expected to rile me up, but being compared to Minato was something I was proud of.

We stopped at the Iwatodai station, crossing the street and heading towards the small shop labelled 'Bookworm's Used Books'. Minato entered, and an old couple turned to greet him. When they saw his blue hair, big smiles crossed their faces.

"Welcome back, Minato-chan! We haven't seen you in a while," the old man chuckled, "Who're these boys with you?"

"This here is Odagiri Hidetoshi," Minato said, before gesturing to me and saying, "And this is my adopted son, Arisato Ken."

"Adopted son?" the old woman inquired, intrigued. I figured I should start counting how many times Minato and I had to explain this. Minato calmly told the story, and the old woman smiled.

"You're a bundle of fire, Minato-chan!" the old man laughed through his pipe, "And pretty bold to take little Ken-chan under your wing."

"Ken-chan...?" I asked a little hesitantly. I was used to being addressed with -kun, but -chan was something a little differnt. After listening to their conversation for a little while, I looked around the tiny shop, and saw Hidetoshi skimming through a book. I split from Minato, who was talking to the old couple, and approached to see what Hidetoshi was reading. I tried to see it, before simply asking, "What are you looking at?"

"Minato told me about this author a while back," Hidetoshi explained, "He said that he was quite humorous, and that I should look into it. I can't help feeling that he was saying that to make fun of me." Hidetoshi then shut the book and pouted. I saw that it was labeled 'The Color of Magic' by Terry Pratchett.

"Mom only makes fun of people he knows well," I told Hidetoshi, who seemed to be offended despite turning pink. "You must be really close to him if mom is making fun of you. He probably wants to make you laugh."

"Humph! How childish," Hidetoshi snorted, glaring as Minato gave him a soft giggle. I beamed up at him.

"You really are kinda grumpy! You do need to laugh more often!" I told him. "Maybe mom just took up the challenge of making you smile since it was difficult."

"What a rude brat you are," Hidetoshi snorted, trying to disguise his obvious body language. The conversation was making him uncomfortable, which meant that he really did have feelings for Minato. He was even more immature than me...!

"Hey, at least you smile more than Shinjiro-san did."

"What, that Aragaki fellow?" Hidetoshi asked, giving me a questioning look. "How did you know him?"

"He was in our dorm," I explained, "And... he died protecting me. Just like my real mother did."

"...Are you serious?" Hidetoshi asked, his voice getting very low so that Minato and the old couple, who were still talking amongst themselves, could not hear. He leaned over to whisper to me. "Why didn't you report that to the police?"

"They wouldn't believe me, anyway," I sighed, frowning, "They didn't with my mother. Why would they with Shinjiro-san? He looked like a punk, so people just automatically assumed... it doesn't matter, anyway, how they died. They aren't coming back. The most I can do is remember them for how they lived."

"...I see," Hidetoshi sighed, patting my head, "You're a lot like Minato-kun. You're childish, but mature when you need to be. I respect that."

"Thanks," I said, blushing a little bit in flattery. Being compared to Minato was the highest form of compliment.

"...You almost glow the same way he does."

"Huh?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination, but... I keep seeing angel wings on Minato. Soft, subtle, barely glowing angel wings. They surround him like a picture frame, and make him look so... I don't know, kingly. It's silly, I guess, but that's how I see him." I blinked as I registered what he had said. An angel? It was a cute analogy, I supposed. Hidetoshi sighed, placing the book back on the shelf and looking out the glass door.

"It's getting dark... I need to head home, Minato-kun," Hidetoshi said, getting Minato's attention. Minato gave him a nod and a soft smile, which turned his ears a bit red. "Thanks for bringing me with you today. It was fun. We don't do enough outside of Student Council."

"That's true," Minato chuckled, "Good night, Hide-kun." Hidetoshi nodded in response, trying to hide the blush in his ears by swivling around, patting my head in a farewell, and leaving the store.

"You best go home too, Minato-chan," the old woman said gently.

"Yes, we should. Good night, Bunkichi-san, Mitsuko-san," Minato said, bowing respectively. I followed him out of the store, looking at the sunset that peeked from between two buildings.

The following morning, Minato told me that he was going to stay after school for Kendo club. This information in mind, I went into Gekkoukan after my school closed, locating the gymnasium and watching as Minato practiced Kendo. I noticed a boy on crutches, and approached him out of curiousity.

"Why are you here if you're injured?" I asked, thinking it an innocent question.

"Huh? What's an elementary school kid doing here?" he asked in response.

"I'm waiting for my mom," I replied without even thinking of my words. It caught the attention of whomever was sparring against Minato, as I heard a pained grunt and a thud as they fell on the floor. Minato pulled up his faceguard and laughed.

"You should focus," he said simply, turning to me, "And don't distract them, Ken-kun! Just sit tight and make friends with Kazushi!"

"You know this kid?" the injured boy asked, a little surprised. I ignored him and replied instead.

"Alright, mom," I nodded, agreeing to behave myself. This made everyone stop and stare, even the coach. "...What?"

"Dude, Minato, this kid thinks you're his mom?? What kind of head injury did he get?"

"Actually, I _am_ his legal guardian. I _did_ adopt him," Minato laughed, "He just chooses to call me 'mother'. I think it's cute. But, you know, it doesn't matter right now - we're in the middle of practice. This doesn't change anything, really, Kazushi."

"Actually, dude, it kinda does," the boy I assumed was Kazushi replied. "How are you going to commit to practice with a kid under tow?"

"He's sitting there, waiting for me. He's a good kid. He can handle a good majority of his own responsibilities," Minato said, putting his mask on. "He's pretty self-reliant for his age. I'm proud to be his parent."

"I won't cause any more disruptions," I added, sitting down quietly. The coach nodded in approval, and practice continued. Kazushi turned to me and decided to speak lowly.

"Why'd Minato adopt you?"

"He wanted to," I answered, sighing a little bit, "And whatever other reasons he has in his head. I hear a new one every time he explains it to someone. It doesn't really matter why he's doing it, to me, just... that he is. He's there for me."

"Yeah, he's a reliable guy," Kazushi sighed in agreement, "He's always been there for me, too. From day one, really. That's when I screwed up my knee. He helped me hide it, but he also kept an eye on me, and worried about me..."

"That's how he is," I giggled softly. "That's how he is with me, too. When I'm upset, he doesn't try to make me feel better unless I ask him to. Y'know... he doesn't hug me unless I hug him, or he can see that I'm in the mood for a hug. He's really good at that."

"Yeah. I admit, I had never had a crush on a boy before," Kazushi said in an extra low voice. No one had heard it other than me. I felt a little special. He then added, "I also kinda have a crush on the team manager, but I dunno what she thinks of me... it's all really confusing. If... if things don't work out with Yuko, I want to ask Minato..."

"You really love him, too?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah... I can almost see wings on him. I mean, look at how he fights. He's so agile. He looks like he'll take off any second," Kazushi said a little proudly, "Mamoru - a rival from another school - may be fast and crazy with kendo skills, but Minato has so much more grace in it. I'm proud to have him as my teammate." I smiled softly, watching Minato. The way he fought was barely unique - it followed many standards and traditions. But the way energy flowed through his body was very liquid-like, and rather impressive when really looked at. Kazushi was right - Minato really did move quite beautifully in battle. I had noticed this in Tartarus, when I was watching him fight with a spear (actually, a scrub brush, which was fascinating enough in its own). "...Minato gave me the confidence to get surgery done on my knee," Kazushi suddenly said, explaining what Minato had done for him in detail. I could only smile.

"He's the best person ever," I agreed, "I don't know why he's like that, but I don't complain about it. It's as if there's all good sides of him, and no bad sides..."

"And if there is a bad side, he knows how to hide it," Kazushi agreed. "Y'know, you remind me of my nephew. I guess, now that I match my nephew, it's funny that you match Minato."

"Really?" I asked. I didn't really look anything like Minato. And I certainly didn't move as smoothly as he did, or reply with as sharp a tongue as he could.

"Yeah. I mean, just the feel you have. It's comforting. It's hard to lie to," Kazushi explained.

Finally, practice ended, and Minato took his mask completely off and sat down next to me. "You two become friends while I worked?" he asked, giving Kazushi a little grin.

"Yup. You're a great mom, Minato," Kazushi laughed. Minato gave him a soft little smile. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah. Painkillers making me a little woozy, and not completely getting rid of the pain, but I'm doing pretty well," he replied with a bit of a sigh. "Doctor says I should make a full recovery."

"That's good. It's tough seeing you in pain. Keep tough, alright? I don't want to worry about you dying," he added with a laugh. I was a little surprised about this Minato. It was a bit more aggressive than the Minato I was familiar with. "Hey, where's Yuko?"

"She's sick today. I think she'll be here tomorrow, but, I dunno," Kazushi shrugged. "You going somewhere?"

"Yeah, home," Minato replied, "I'm feeling a little tired. I'm going to bed early, right after I take a shower."

"Man, that sounds good..." Kazushi sighed, "Getting all sweaty and then taking a long bath... I miss that."

"Well, you'll get back to the aches and pains soon," Minato chuckled, packing up the remainder of his gear. "Come on, Ken-kun. See ya, Kazu-kun."

"Yeah, later, Minato!"

We went home that night after a short visit to Palownia mall, where I sat on the bench as he headed back into a part of the mall with nothing in it to do something. I found that my stuff had been moved to Minato's room by Aigis, and gave up on following her logic behind it and simply sat on the edge of Minato's bed. When he came in, he laughed softly at me, then changed into his pajamas. I had already changed into mine, and we laughed when we saw that we both had Jack Frost pajamas on. He slipped into bed, and I followed, nuzzling up against his chest and falling asleep there. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "Good night, Ken-kun."

"G'night, mum..." I mumbled as I drifted off. It was another peaceful night of sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for taking so long... (sigh) my brother took the PS2 out of my room two days before he started redoing his, so there's no PS2 right now, and no more S.Links for me to work on until either he finishes his room or I steal the PS2 back. Sorry.

Until then, I suppose I'll just substitute/bide for time with characters that don't have an S.Link... though, I guess Ryoji is part of the Death Arcana, huh? I dunno. He'll be in there soon. I guess I should also elaborate on some of the other guys, huh? But I think I'll touch on most of them before elaborating on the other relationships. Hahah. This is going to be a lot longer than I thought it'd be. It's pretty much all of the oneshots I could ever write stuck in one fic. How convenient. You name it, we ship it. (laughs) Except Strega and old people, of course... and Ikutsuki. Disgusting old pervert.(Says no more in order to prevent spoilage)

I'm bumping the rating to make my life easier. It'll be more mature because of more intimacy in relationships.

+CHAPTER FOUR+

I had seen Minato behaving strangely short after that. As if he was putting more thought into someone to date. I could see it in his shiftiness around some of our teammates, boys and girls alike. Lately, he was more shifty around the boys, though. Despite his shiftiness, he often invited both Junpei and Akihiko in the same party. If it wasn't Akihiko and Junpei, it was Aigis and Koromaru.

Sometimes, when I didn't feel well, Minato told Akihiko to lead the others to go train in his absense, which was reasonable. But it also gave me some private time with him, too, and I appreciated it. We would either sit and quietly read by ourselves, or have a quiet and relatively short-winded conversation, or maybe even play some sort of game. The activities were small, quiet, but they were in no way awkward. It wasn't hard to talk to Minato - he was always willing to add his thoughts to a statement. He just didn't start a conversation. It was relaxing, really, since all you ever had to talk about was what you wanted to talk about. No awkward or uncomfortable conversations ever lasted for long, if they rose at all.

It was late, but Minato still fixed me something small for dinner, and for dessert, heated up some milk and stirred some sugar in it. It was very soothing and pleasant, and calmed me down. I'd have to drink more than a fourth of the mug to get sleepy, so I looked intently at Minato, who hadn't eaten anything and wasn't drinking anything. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his slouch was deeper than usual. It wasn't uncommon that Minato was ill, but it was very strange that he was awake this late on that occassion.

"Hey, mom?" I inquired, a thought striking me. Rather than speaking, Minato merely turned his gaze to me, locking his eyes with mine. This was his full attention - he must have been exhausted. "Are you trying to put me to bed?"

"Hahah, Ken-kun," Minato chuckled weakly. His voice was rusty when he used his rarely-employed vocal chords, so his smooth, whispy voice that fluttered gently like a feather was reduced to a meek breath of a whisper that was a pitiful attempt of breathing that sounded like words. "That's a harsh way to put it."

"I'll go to bed if you're tired!" I interjected.

"...I think you should sleep in your room tonight," he added weakly, "I don't want to get you sick."

"You're sick because you're tired! I won't get sick," I interjected, "But if you want to sleep by yourself, I will." Minato pat my head, giving me a tired smile.

"Do whatever you like, Ken-kun," he breathed, a warming emotion behind his glazed eyes.

"...Hey, mom?" I asked, getting his attention again. "Do you love Sanada-senpai?" I offered the question, and Minato took it with a little surprise. His face then melted back into a little grin.

"...Yeah. I feel... close... to everyone in S.E.E.S., actually, but I've had... close moments with Akihiko and Junpei recently," he replied.

"Junpei-san? Really?" I questioned, thinking it over. I felt my own face sink at my next question, "Was it... about Chidori?"

"Yeah... he really loved her," Minato said softly, a little sad look on his face. His face could change almost as infinately as his personas. "He approached me for some advice, which I found strange. He never really appreciated me," he laughed through his nose. At my inquiring look, he elaborated, "He was always angry that I was able to adapt to many different situations, and that I was the one who typically lead the final blow. He didn't see me as what I really am... the jack of all trades and the ace of none."

"That's an interesting way to think of it..." I determined, mulling it over in my head. "Why a jack and not a king?"

"I'm not that good," Minato laughed weakly.

"You'll never be an ace, I guess, because you don't focus on one thing... but you're really good at a lot of things. I think you're more than a jack."

"Hahah, Ken-kun," Minato laughed weakly, shaking his head and smiling. He sighed, then continued. "I found that Junpei finds comfort in me. Something tells me that he feels stronger than what he says, too."

"You can see it in his eyes?" I asked, more of a statement than an inquiry.

"...Yeah..." Minato agreed, smiling down at me. It was the first time I vocally acknowledged Minato's talent for reading eyes and voices. I think he considered himself a mere jack of that trade, as well, though his abilities were probably more up-to-snuff than mine. "...So I gave him a little kiss."

"Really?" I asked, a grin immediately plastering itself across my face. The mood was lightened in company with the subject.

"You're not upset?" he laughed, and I shook my head. "...It was just a little kiss on the cheek, but he turned redder than his S.E.E.S. patch," he chuckled, getting a little rusty from his vocal chords. I laughed, too, because the thought of the scene was funny in my head. Romantic, I guess, but more funny to me. "As for Akihiko..."

"Does this story beat Junpei-san's?"

"Well, it's a little sadder," Minato shrugged, "And shorter. Basically, after Shinjiro died, I consoled Akihiko, and he started acting... strangely towards me. I haven't approached him for it, but I suppose it doesn't matter anyway. He made his point, even if he doesn't know it."

"Yeah, people's eyes talk a lot more than their voices," I agreed, yawning. My milk was gone, as I had been absentmindedly sipping it during the conversation. I went to stand up, but Minato stopped me, and picked me up. I gave him a questioning look, but he ignored it and carried me up into his bedroom, where he set me on his bed and changed into his own pajamas.

My own body was a little beaten up from battle, but my bumps and scrapes didn't even compare to the harsh, deep, cruel scars on Minato's body. I had never really seen Minato in almost-nude (as he still wore his boxers in front of me), and it was a bit shocking to see the gnarly gashes on his legs and abdomen. "Mom..."

"I was careless," he replied softly, pulling a pajama shirt over his head, "I wasn't paying attention in a higher level of Tartarus, and I was pushing myself past my limits. I was sick then, too. That's why I don't venture into Tartarus when I break down like this."

"Does it hurt?" I asked, turning my eyes up to him to fully voice my concern.

"A little, but they're old scars," he said as he pulled his pj pants on. He crawled into bed next to me, and I almost didn't want to touch him. I was afraid that he might yelp in pain, and he held his arm out to embrace me. "A hug won't hurt them. It doesn't hurt when touched. Don't worry, I've had them a lot longer than I've been your mother."

"Mom..." I whimpered again, gingerly snuggling against him while trying not to press against him. Minato draped his arm over my shoulder, rubbing my back. With my forehead against his chest, I could feel his pulse against my skin. I felt it slow and steady as my tension faded. "...Mom... be careful, okay?" I whispered quietly. "...I don't want to loose you..."

"I'll never leave you all alone," Minato whispered quietly, "I'll always protect you. I love you, Ken-kun."

"...Mom..." I whispered again, looking up into his eyes this time before falling asleep. The expression in his eyes was just like hers... his grey eyes were a shimmering silver in the moonlight, even in the light of the hideous Dark Hour moon. "...You're so pretty," I said, not really sure what I should say. What I wanted to say was, _Why do you love_ me_, of all people? _but it came out as that weak comment. _Who am I to be so dear to your heart?_ "...can I really stay here with you?"

"Always," Minato whispered, "I'll always says yes. You're my son, Ken-kun. I want only the best for you."

"...I love you, mom," I ushered, bringing pink to Minato's already pink face. He gave me a gentle little squeeze before we both fell asleep.

The following morning, as it was a Sunday, I decided to talk to the two boys about Minato. Minato initially left the dorm to spend time with a friend whom he said was ill, and I made him go on his own to spend some private time with him. Akihiko had left to restock supplies, and Junpei was sulking in the foyer. After the last members had left, Mitsuru leading Aigis on a seperate mission (or perhaps just a tune up), it was just myself, Junpei and Koromaru in the room.

"Hey, Junpei-san..." I started, getting his attention.

"Hmm? What is it, kiddo?" he asked. I smiled - he behaved more like an American than anyone else I knew. Or, at least, the stereotypical American.

"Do you like... Minato?" I made sure not to call him 'mom' this time. Junpei turned pink, and feigned frustration.

"What?? Of course I do!! I mean, he's a good friend, and I guess he's our leader and all..." he attempted, trying to avert what I already knew was the right answer. "...But I guess I am a little jealous of him. Man, he's just good at everything he does! I don't have anything." What Minato had reported was apparently dead-on. "But, well, I _used_ to get mad at him for that, but it's not his fault, y'know? It's just me being a di-- jerk," he laughed nervously. Junpei had obviously come to fear Minato. I suppose it was reasonable - he had been afraid of Shinjiro's fearsome headbutting, but it didn't compare to Minato's fierce uppercut, which Shinjiro had received following some vulgar language. "J-jeez, I never realized how often I cursed until Minato started threatening me. It's a hard habit... this sucks."

"So you're afraid of him?" I questioned. Junpei sighed, knowing it was futile to try and lie to me just as it was futile to attempt to hide your thoughts from Minato.

"Nah. I just... I dunno. I don't really feel strongly about him. At least, not the way I felt with Chidori. But I didn't start strong with Chidori, and maybe..." Junpei trailed off. "I... I dunno. Ah, fuck--crying out loud," he garbled, attempting to cover his cursing. I laughed, and he got even more flustered. "Shaddap, shaddap!!" he barked, bright red, "I'm... I'm all confused. I dunno. I just wish... jeez, I just wish it'd be easier. I mean, I don't even know how I'd do it with a guy!"

"Do what?" I asked, not sure as to what he was referring. Of course, _now_ I know, but back then, I was still in elementary school.

"N-nothing," Junpei shook his head, denying me an answer. "...I don't care. He seems cute and innocent, like a little angel, but he's really a lot more violent than that. He's scary. But cute. And it's weird, and confusing. He's like a hawk, instead of an angel. Or something. I dunno."

"No, no, I get it," I laughed, nodding. "Is that why you're so sulky, Junpei?"

"Wha? Naw, Akihiko is just a slavedriver. Minato's more of a slavedriver, though. Thank god you joined the team - he's been letting up ever since you showed up." Junpei pat me heavily on the head, ruffling my hair. "You're pretty cute yourself, in a similar way. Don't turn into an angry hawk like Minato, 'kay?"

"Hahah, I don't think he's like that at all," I laughed, trying to imagine Minato with big, imposing talons. I imagined his gauntlets that he gave to Akihiko once he found himself a more favorable weapon.

"Of course not, you're his baby bird, or chick, or whatever you wanna call it. I guess 'chick' would only really work if you were a girl," Junpei shrugged, trying to make a clever analogy but not doing too well. But his hawk analogy was pretty unique for typically bland Junpei. It's what made him charismatic - his occassional superb ability in his fighting or his words that made the situation just so much more pleasant. Otherwise, he really was bland ol' Junpei. Perhaps Minato saw more than that. "Hey, why'dya care, anyway?"

"If you like mom, then you might become my dad," I replied, making him even redder. I didn't really understand why, even when I heard him mutter under his breath something to the effect of, _'so that means he's underneath me...'_

A couple hours later, when the girls retreated to the third floor to start going to bed, and Junpei began spending the evening with Ryoji, who came to the dorm nightly. I had seen Minato give Ryoji strange looks, which changed every time, and Ryoji, unlike all of the other friends Minato had, seemed to fully understand what those looks meant. As if they had known each other for much longer. And when Minato gave Ryoji a certain look, or tried to hide that face from him, he would head home, giving Minato a little farewell smile. Tonight, Minato headed straight upstairs behind Akihiko, who had made a gesture towards him earlier.

Curiousity attacking my better judgement, I eventually headed upstairs and peeked around the corner. In front of Minato's door, Akihiko had him pinned, the older boy's strong arms blocking Minato's face from my view. They were talking low, and it wasn't possible for me to both hear and not be seen. I gasped as I saw Akihiko demand affection from Minato in a rather rushed kiss. Minato was red, but didn't pull from Akihiko. I blinked, and jumped as Minato saw me. The emotion in his half-lidded eyes went from the dark, velvety feel that I later learned to be lust to that familiar soft emotion he gave me, mixed with a slight pink in his cheeks in shame. "Ken-kun..." he ushered softly, making Akihiko spring off of him and immediately try to straighten his composure. He was almost as red as his sweater-vest. I jogged up to the two of them, and threw my arms around Minato's waist. He grabbed Akihiko's sweater before he managed to slip off, and gave him a gentle smile. "Why don't you talk to him, Aki?" Minato asked, giving him a strange smile.

"...Minato..." Akihiko sighed, looking at me. He had a look of guilt on his face. When I gave him a smile, it only increased. "...Ken..."

"It's alright," I interrupted, still giving him a smile, "I'm not upset. Why would I be? I don't dislike you at all, Sanada-senpai." He remained silent, though the look of guilt was slightly fading. Minato tugged a bit on the bit of sweater he was gripping, getting Akihiko's attention and fluster.

"Why are you ashamed?" Minato asked gently.

"...I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment," Akihiko huffed, sounding a little bit like Shinjiro, "I'm still a little confused right now."

"Then go think about it," I interjected, making Minato giggle softly. Akihiko looked at me, his true timidness showing through in his inability to appropriately respond to my statement.

"It's alright, Aki," Minato said softly, emphasizing his directed emotions, "You make your choice. I don't mind... either way, I'm happy."

"...Yeah, thanks," Akihiko murmured softly, looking comforted, "That... makes things a lot easier. I... uh..." Akihiko gave up, let out a sigh of surrender, and gave Minato and myself a pat on the cheek and the head respectively before retreating to his room. I looked back up to Minato, who looked a little absent.

"...He's a lot more passionate than a lot of people I know," Minato explained after a moment, "It's really hard to avoid getting caught in the rapids of his emotions. It's a rush, but it's blind, too... but he's a good guy."

"I like him, too," I agreed, simply nodding. "Not perfect, but nobody could be perfect for you."

"Aww, Ken, that's cute," Minato laughed lightly, beaming at me.

"Hey, you look like you feel a lot better!"

"Yes, I do," Minato agreed, smiling gently, "A good night's rest and some TLC from my son is all I need."

"Good! Medicine is expensive!" I laughed, earning another of Minato's giggles. He looked down at me, thinking.

"...Are you ashamed of me?"

"What? Why would I be??" I asked, a little bewildered.

"I'm rather physical with a lot of my... friends," he sighed, looking a little guilty just as Akihiko had.

"I don't care. You love them, right?" I asked, earning a rather surprised and thoughtful look from Minato's face. It then melted into a gentle smile.

"...Yeah, but I love you, and don't do such vulgar things," he laughed, trying to lower his logic to my age level. Perhaps he didn't want to be proven wrong? Or maybe he wanted me to win the arguement.

"That's because you're my mom," I objected, "I don't care who else you love, mom, since you still love me. It's selfish, but I don't really care as long as you love me..."

"It isn't selfish to love someone," Minato scolded me softly, hugging me, "It isn't selfish to want to be loved by someone. It's only selfish to deny anyone else that person's love. You're the least selfish person I know, Ken."

"Good, I don't want to be selfish," I nodded, satisfied. It seemed we were both rather satisfied from that conclusion. "So, who are we talking to tomorrow?"

"Monday? Hmm..."

"Why not Hidetoshi?"

"You like him, huh?" Minato laughed softly.

"Yeah, but he looks like he needs to get out more, anyway!"

"Alright. Let's go out to the movies with him tomorrow, after the meeting," Minato agreed with a nod, "I think we'll run into another friend of mine there, anyway."


	5. Chapter 5

Hahahhhahahaah yes we're going for Tanaka. I know. I am perverted. But I thought one word when I was filling his social link... "PEDOPHIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE... PEDOPHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE..." and being the perv I am, I need to play with it. It's... cute, in a Micheal Jackson kind of way. I dunno. I love Tanaka. (shrugs)

But yeah. I'll try to give everyone a good balanced time with Minato, but I'm sure I'll cut some people short. Tanaka and the old couple are amongst them. And I think Akinari only gets one section. (laughs) Yeah. The ending isn't that special, I don't think... I've already written it. But you don't get to read it until I finish all of the chapters in between. 3 I think I'll give all of my readers diabetes. This whole thing is nothing but a fluff-fest. It's ridiculous. (shrug) Whatever. I enjoy writing fluff because it evokes stronger emotions in readers in a more universal audience. I can get macho men to admit the cuteness in my writing, and that's much more satisfying than trying to get them to read dramatic or saddening romance. I'll leave that one to talented authors like spoodlegamer. 3

Spoodle's Hidetoshi and Akihiko inspired mine. So yes, perhaps there's a little bias in some of my writing. Hahahah. That's why I'm trying to write these chapters quickly, so I don't get any more biases and am only exposed to the game (and pictures I find on 4chan). And yes, I needed to put some German in the chapter. Translate it yourself if you're really curious. :P

My word, I'm chatty today... I'll chat more later. Again, the only real drama happens in the last chapter. Then again, perhaps I should step it up in chapter six... (ponders) Jeez, half of this is planned, and the other half is impromptu... (shuts up and goes to work on chapter six)

+CHAPTER FIVE+

It was fun to meet up with Hidetoshi again, since he wasn't really one for public outings. But, from what I understood in their body language, they had gotten a bit closer than before when I was waiting for them. The way Hidetoshi either consciously or subconsciously licked and/or touched his lips makes me think that Minato gave him a teasing kiss before bringing him along on the date. And the fact that we were going to the movies probably made him more nervous, despite my presense being of some help.

The Kirijo group controlled most of the neighborhood, so if anything was in a foreign language, it was typically in French. But today, the theatre had a special presentation from Germany, with Japanese subtitles for those who don't speak a word of the tongue. I wasn't too surprised to learn that Hidetoshi had taken German as his foreign language class, since it was a much more robust and commanding language than French. I was a little surprised, however, to learn that Minato knew just about as much German as he did French. Hidetoshi seemed equally surprised, and took it as a challenge, speaking rather accurate German to Minato.

"Ich habe nicht gedacht, dass du Deutsch kannst," he started, his heavy tone very strongly matching the thickness of German. What I didn't expect was such a smoothness in the manner in which he spoke, however, which made it sound a lot more elegant and royal than it was on its own. I didn't know a great deal of German, so I was easily lost beyond how well it sounded. But competitive Minato was not to be outdone so easily. "Du bist zu schön für eine Sprache wie Deutsch. Französisch gefällt dir viel besser."

"Das ist nicht sehr nett, Hidetoshi. Ich habe ein bisschen gelernt, aber nicht viel. Ich habe auch Französisch und Latein gelernt," Minato's German was much slower, but just as well spoken. His gentle, whispy voice was surprisingly compatible with an otherwise solid language, and his own voice came out more strongly as a result. But the fact that he had to pause to remember vocabulary gave Hidetoshi a victory, which he showed in his grin. I, however, was much more impressed that Minato (after translating the arguement for me) was able to speak more than just two languages. He may not have specialized in German, but he knew a good amount, and it was impressive. Jack-of-all-trades, indeed.

After that interesting little foreign-language-arguement, we entered and watched the relatively old German movie (as it was at least a year or two old by now) titled 'Run Lola Run'. It was exciting, and strange, and most of all, confusing, but it was a fun movie anyway. Hidetoshi seemed to laugh more at certain parts than others, probably infering that he understood the German humor a little better than Minato or I did.

Following the film, Hidetoshi said that he needed to go home in time for his curfew, and that he would probably be unable to attend Student Council for several reasons I didn't find interesting enough to listen to. He headed off in the other direction after Minato snuck a kiss on his forehead, which made his legs shake as he walked towards the gates of the station. Minato smiled down at me, before beginning to walk towards the mall, since he said he had to go get something.

"Minato-chan! Taking your younger brother to the movies?" a voice called from across the courtyard. I looked towards the source to find a middle-aged, well-dressed man standing by a pillar. Minato gave him a playful smile and approached.

"Tanaka-san, how are you today?" Minato asked politely. I wasn't sure if this was the type of man who deserved that respect. I could hardly believe that Minato was friends with this man.

"Your brother is a cutie. Much like yourself. Perhaps I should take him under my wing as I did with you," Tanaka laughed. I frowned a bit.

"That's up to him," Minato laughed softly.

"I suppose. I'd also have to talk to your parents about it, wouldn't I?"

"Don't have any," Minato shrugged. The impassiveness with which Minato spoke was very different. It had a charm to it, but it was much colder than I was used to.

"Oh, hoh, so you're a little orphan boy? Well excuse me if I caused any heartbreak."

"Nah. You're kinda like a dad, anyway," Minato challenged with a broad grin on his face. "Even if you do sound like a creepy pedophile."

"A pedophile??" Tanaka asked, a strange expression breaching his composed face. Sweat beaded on his forehead, "Is that really what I sound like??"

"No, I'm making fun of you," Minato laughed, grinning. Somehow, though, I was skeptical of that answer. Tanaka also seemed rather skeptical.

"Better watch it, you brat, or I'll sent your little brother to juvenille hall!" Tanaka threatened nervously. I didn't sense much seriousness behind the threat, and nor did Minato.

"He's my son, not my brother," Minato corrected, "Though the details don't particularly matter."

"You adopted him?" Tanaka inquired, eyeing me curiously.

"Mom, this guy is creepy," I said, tugging Minato's jacket. A deep bellow of a laugh emerged from Tanaka.

"He calls you mother! How adorable... you two are so charming. I wonder how I could use that..." Tanaka said, the thought behind his plotting evident on his face.

"Only if Ken is alright with it," Minato answered, a slight sound of protectiveness in his tone. It was a little scary. "Or else I'll rip your genitals off and feed them to wild wolves." I nearly shivered at Minato's threat. It wasn't empty, like Tanaka's had been. It was REALLY scary. Minato was a very cruel and vengeful person when necessary, and often liked to down a threat using the same style of the threat itself. The beads of sweat on Tanaka's forehead grew larger. Minato calmed, satisfied with the effect of his intimidation, and smiled sweetly once more. "I'm pretty defensive of my son. If something happens to me, and no one else comes to get him, I'm relying on you to take good care of him."

"Oh, you trust him with me?"

"Ken-kun is a smart boy. He'll know how to dance around your empty threats and derive pleasure from your nervous expression like I did," Minato said challengingly. His competitive side was roaring up almost violently. "And I know for a fact that you're financially fit enough to take very good care of him. I'll write down your name on my will and forge your agreement to take care of him if no one else steps forward to be his parent."

"Why do you like this guy, mom?" I asked, unable to wait until we walked off for an answer, "Why do you even talk to him?"

"I like a good challenge," Minato chuckled, "And he called me cute. I enjoyed being complimented. He's a sweet guy under his shell. He doesn't let his desires control him, but also doesn't inhibit them. It's rather inspiring, really."

"I _am_ still here, you know," Tanaka said, getting a little uncomfortable with us talking about him and not to him. "Humph. Just because you have a cute face doesn't make you superior to me."

"But it does mean I have significance in your eyes, doesn't it?" Minato asked, a strange emotion entering his eyes again. I could almost feel my hair standing on end. What was that feeling? Did Minato want to push this man to the edge? Or did he want to be pushed? It was such an odd feeling...

"Oooh, you _look_ like an innocent little angel, but you're quite a fiend!" Tanaka huffed, "Those wings of yours are pitch black, you little demon!"

"Thank yee," Minato said teasingly, a playful smile on his face as the strange emotion faded from his eyes. To this day, I still don't understand the relationship between those two.

But as we left, a thought was starting to bother me. Minato had teased Tanaka about being a pedophile. I kinda knew what a pedophile was, but at that time, I didn't know too much. I kept glancing up at Minato, then back at the floor. Did Minato...?

"Only if you were older," Minato interrupted my thoughts, making my nervous eyes dart up back to meet his. "I know what you're thinking," he elaborated, giving me a playful smirk. I felt some sympathy towards Tanaka's case.

"Y-yeah?" I asked, frowning a little bit and averting my gaze once more.

"I can't get excited for a _child_, Ken," he said, making me meet his eyes once more. When he stared at me like that, I felt my heart race giddily. The intensity of his stare was pouring an emotion through his eyes into mine, but I still couldn't fully understand it. It made me restless, overly energetic. "I'd only think of you romantically if you were old enough to feel the same way. The way I feel about you is different than with anyone else. I wouldn't adopt anyone else, even if they were closer to your age."

"...Minato..."

"I thought I was 'mom'," Minato laughed, "I like hearing you call me that. I know it means a lot to be your mom, rather than 'dad' or 'brother'. Tanaka didn't bother you _that_ much, did he?"

"...No way!" I nodded, smiling brightly at him. "I guess he's not so bad. He's really weird, though. Sorry about that!"

"It's alright," Minato laughed, patting my head. I felt my faith in him completely restored. I felt my heart warm contently at the touch of my new mother, of my... guardian angel, I suppose. Though I could only imagine wings on Minato in a silly fantasy. I couldn't look at him seriously and see wings, because I was focused on trying to decipher the emotions in his stormy grey eyes.

Not long after that, it was time again to train in Tartarus. As usual, Minato picked me to join the team, as well as Junpei and Akihiko. He had been favoring them quite a bit lately, which probably resulted from their close interactions. On this occassion, Minato took a particular liking to spoiling me with the highest-quality armor he found before giving any to Akihiko or Junpei. He had lately taken great pleasure in weilding a scrub brush in favor of any other weapon against the Shadows, which was probably for his own amusement. He weilded that brush astonishingly well, using it as a spear to fiercely slaughter foes.

I was really astonished at how aggressive he was. It seemed that only recently that he was very brutally ripping apart shadows with his biggest and fiercest Personae, the most impressive probably being Thanatos. He exploited every weakness he could, and seemed to take great pleasure in beating weaker Shadows senseless with the scrub brush. I heard Junpei ask Akihiko why Minato was so aggressive tonight, and Akihiko just laughed and replied, "He's showing off for his son, of course."

The higher we climbed into the tower, the more mellow Minato became. Though that didn't change the fact that Minato was exceptionally fierce on this hunt, as the Shadows' screeches of fear and trembles of terror mirrored. I could feel his entheusiasm channel into myself, too, and I charged ahead just as excitedly as he did. We encountered a set of Judgement Swords, which we were a fair match for. However, I didn't expect Minato to come out of the battle with an open wound that was pouring blood. I was more than a little surprised when he nearly fainted from it. I cried when I saw his blood on the floor. Not the blood that naturally belonged to the Dark Hour... it was his blood.

Minato's blood. My mother's blood.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter siiiiiiiiix!! Woooooooooo! Now, prepare thyselves, MinaRyo fans, for here we have a taste of it! And another pairing, of course, but MinaRyo... 3

But no, there's still no real imbalance in the pairings. At least, at this time. Therefore, the readers chose to accept or deny which relationship they find genuine. (laughs) And yay, we have some drama!!

+CHAPTER SIX+

"O-ouch..." Minato grunted as he shifted his weight back onto his clean leg. His left thigh had been deeply cut, the laceration probably also reaching his hip.

"Mom!" The Judgement Swords had left some fierce wounds on all of us, but I didn't even notice mine until I went to rush to Minato's aid. I felt a sharp pain in my head, a throbbing behind my eyes, and whited out for a second before collapsing. It was a strange feeling to not be able to feel anything in my body other than my loud pulse, and I knew I wasn't bleeding, because it wasn't until after I fell that I saw such complete horror in Minato's eyes.

"Ken! KEN!" He barked, running towards me. He dropped to his knees, ignoring the pain in his own wound to tend to me. I began shaking when I saw his injury up close, becoming scared for him as I had done for Shinjiro and my mother.

"M-mom..." I whimpered, gasping and attempting to say more, such as _don't die_, _take care of yourself_ and _don't leave me!_

"Shh, Ken, it's alright," he whispered, moving my head so I wasn't looking at his blood spilling onto the floor, mingling with the blood already present in the Dark Hour. He turned my face upwards, and I saw his eyes darting over me, trying to find what was wrong. I vaguely heard over the loud _tha-thump_ of my own pulse that Akihiko was trying a little frantically to contact Fuuka and Junpei was worriedly cursing as he dug through his bag to find something to stop Minato's bleeding. "It's alright, it'll be okay," Minato continued, a haze starting to cover his eyes. He kept blinking it away, keeping focus on me. I felt myself clear up, and became finally fully aware of my body's state.

"I-I'm okay!" I cried, grabbing Minato's hand. Tears were running down my face in a torrent, and I felt blood rushing to my head where I had been struck by the blunt end of a sword. There wasn't any bleeding, or any real damage, just shock to my brain that had made me nearly faint. But the fact of the matter was that I was in a lot better shape than Minato, even though I barely had the energy to move. Even so, I tried to get up and out of Minato's grip, and said a little weakly, "I'm okay, mom, I'm alright... I'm okay..."

"Thank god," he merely whispered, hugging me closely once I sat up. My back was pressed to his chest, and his arms were squeezing me tightly and slightly uncomfortably. When his cheek pressed against mine, I felt that it was hot and wet with tears. He was shaking more than I was, and his grip was growing weaker. Nonetheless, I couldn't be pried from his grip by either Junpei or Akihiko, or even their joint effort. Minato just panted, shook and held me, whispering silent words of relief and worry.

After a while, he got up, shaking violently as he used his slashed leg to walk. He picked me up, just as he usually did, and held me close as he wobbled towards an Access Point. We retreated to the first floor, where we were immediately met with Yukari's and Mitsuru's medical powers. According to Mitsuru, it wasn't uncommon for a Shadow to act more aggressively and cause damage like that, and nor was it the first time Minato had been so fiercely struck. It was, however, the first time he had lost so much blood even after the wound was sealed up.

The morning came in a fog, and I waited in the dorm's foyer for word of Minato, who was in the hospital. Horrible thoughts raced through my head. What if he's permanently injured? What if he blames me? Was it my fault? Would he ever walk again? Would he hate me now? What if... what if he died? I couldn't even cry at the thought, I was so shocked. Time raced so quickly that I didn't really have time to react. I simply waited for someone to come through that door with either Minato or news of Minato with him.

So when I heard the door and saw Ryoji, I yelped in surprise, which made him jump a bit, himself. He then laughed nervously, giving me an apologetic grin. "Sorry, uh, Ken-kun?" he inquired, holding a boquet of flowers. After I calmed and slightly recovered from my haze, I gave him a questioning look. "Oh, these are for Minato. I hope he doesn't think it's too gay or anything, but I heard that he got hurt yesterday..." His statement snapped my brain out of the fog completely. I looked at the clock. It was already six in the evening; it had been seventeen hours since Minato had been rushed to the hospital. Seventeen hours of me sitting and waiting. I felt tears well up in my eyes, and drip down my cheek. "O-oh, he's not that bad, is he?"

"I-I dunno," I whimpered. Ryoji faltered, his goofiness fading. I hid my face in my hands, inhaling sharply through my nose to try not to sob. "I... it's all my fault, I... I'm so scared! He might be dead! I don't want him to die!!"

"Hey, calm down," Ryoji said softly. He had come closer when I began to curl up and cry, and he sat me down on the couch. His hands were big and warm, and his touch was just as gentle as Minato's. Ryoji's voice was comforting, since it so closely resembled Minato's. He gave me a little hug, and I buried my face into his chest and began sobbing. Ryoji waited awkwardly for a moment before running his fingers through my hair. It was a different gesture than Minato's back-rubbing, but it had a similar effect. "Hey, it's okay, don't be upset..." Ryoji attempted, sounding a little upset himself.

"I'm s-s-s-so s-s-s-s-scared-d," I studdered, sobbing pathetically. Ryoji was comforting, but he was no Minato. "I... I... I want my mommy!" I finally gasped, finally unable to restrain my wails of sadness any longer. Ryoji hugged me a little tighter, and I felt his own tears in my hair.

"H-hey, it's alright, he'll be okay. I know he will," Ryoji told me, though I'm sure he was also telling himself, "He won't die. He'll be alright. So don't cry, okay? I bet he'll like seeing your smiling face when he comes home. Don't cry, Ken-kun..."

"I want my mommy," I whimpered again, repeating myself over and over, "I want my mommy. I don't want mom to die! I love my mom! M-mommy...!"

"Minato won't die, kiddo," Ryoji said, trying to calm me down. After a while, he just surrendered, and held me as I sobbed. We both sat there, waiting until nearly eleven at night for news on Minato.

And sure enough, come eleven, I saw none other than Minato himself walk through the door. He looked tired, enervated, and sullen, but the relief he held in his eyes when he saw me was a wonder to behold. I rushed over to him, but carefully hugged him on his good side, crying happily. Ryoji stood where I had been standing, smiling softly at Minato. Minato looked up at him, and gave him a lethargic smile. Ryoji approached us after Aigis retreated towards the stairs, and the others either went to bed or into the foyer to finish up their work, each shooting glances at Minato to ensure his health.

Minato gave Ryoji a nod that I myself would not have interpreted if it had been directed towards me, and he led me up the stairs towards his bedroom. Ryoji followed, keeping a close eye on Minato's limp. He courteously opened Minato's door, and Minato gestured for him to follow inside, where Ryoji insisted on helping Minato into bed. Through all of this wordless interaction, the bond between the two very similar boys seemed obvious.

"Hey, Minato," Ryoji said in a low tone as not to wake Minato if he had already fallen asleep, "I'm glad you're safe. You scared me almost as much as you scared Ken here."

"I'm sorry, Ryoji," Minato murmured, before turning his eyes to me. I had never seen his eyes so brilliant with emotion before, as he uttered, "I'm so sorry, Ken. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not your fault," I whimpered, the sob in my tone still strong, "It's okay. I'm really happy that you're okay. I was so scared that you were going to die."

"I told you..." Minato ushered softly, brushing my bangs away from my eyes, "...I'd never leave you all alone."

"Mom..." I whimpered again, grabbing his hand and pressing my cheek against it. Minato's eyes shot to Ryoji, and I saw that the boy was trying to sneak out. "Where are you going?" I asked for Minato's sake.

"I'll come back," Ryoji laughed, giving us a smile, "But I better go home now. You guys take care of yourselves, okay?"

"C'mere," Minato objected. Ryoji contemplated it before approaching Minato. I moved to give Minato space, having a good idea of what was coming. But when all he did was smile and say in a low tone, "'Night", I was surprised. However, it seemed to hold an effect on Ryoji, who turned pink. He stared at Minato, confusion in his clear blue eyes, before sighing and smiling gently, almost cutely at him.

"Good night," he replied in a smooth tone, turning around and leaving the room. I carefully got into bed with Minato, letting him hold me rather than risking further injury, even though I knew his wound was healed.

The following morning, Minato took the day off to regain his lost energy. His limp was almost gone, and he seemed rather impeccably healthy. I had to go to school, but when I came home, he didn't seem very different than normal. He gave me the same smiles, the same eyes, and continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Mom..."

"Yes?"

"Are you really okay?" I asked, perturbed that he was just going about his day as if nothing had happened a few nights ago. He just gave me a smile.

"I'm fine, Ken. I'm a little tougher than that."

"You were in the hospital so long..."

"Well, I had to get a blood transfusion," Minato said, shrugging.

"Why are you so naunchalaunt about it?" I asked, getting a little stressed.

"Why stress?" he asked in response, "Stress makes recovery slow. Besides, with the girls casting Diarama on me profusely so quickly, there was no real reason for my wounds to be serious. And you know what? My only problem - the bloodloss - has already been solved. So, why be hesitant about it? It's wiser to just take the lesson learned and move on as normal." I sighed. He had changed a bit since then, as he was a bit more talkative. It was as if his loud shout when he cried my name unplugged the cork that held him silent. He was still quiet, still a smooth and gentle speaker, but his voice seemed to develop a lot more than before. It was starting to sound like Ryoji, who was pretty talkative himself. It was kinda creepy in that respect, but Minato was still just as wonderful as ever. The change was different, and a shock, but it wasn't unwelcome. Minato was just the same as ever, just more open. In the same way, I had closed up a little bit from it. "Do you want to come to school with me tomorrow?" he asked.

"Huh? Why?" I stupidly questioned.

"Keep an eye on me, I guess," he laughed, "Naw, just come with me. Toriumi misses you, anyway."

"Oh, that lady..."

"Yeah. And there's someone else I want you to meet," Minato added with a smile. "He'll probably sniff out my injury and smother me in concern, so I'd like you to distract him, hahah."

"So I'm a distraction?" I asked, frowning.

"Yeah. You're so cute that you make people's worries go away," Minato replied. I had seen that emotion in his eyes, but it was really different to hear it from him. Maybe it was the medication that made him so loose. His soft smile crossed his face again, as he stared at me. "...I dunno. You're filling me with some kind of energy. I get all bouncy when I think about you. I get all hyped up when you call me 'mom' or 'mommy'. And Ryoji said you were calling me that when you were talking to him last night."

"O-oh, yeah..." I said, feeling my ears get hot. It was less talking and more crying, but it was true that I addressed Minato as my mother even when he wasn't around. And apparently, that made him really happy, which in turn gave me a little kick of energy, too. I smiled. "Alright! Let's go tomorrow, then!"

Just like before, Minato filled out the necessary papers to get me out of school and into his, his own medical reports supporting his reason quite a bit more on this occasion. I was rather surprised at how many people were concerned about him when he came back, as they all heard what happened. Apparently Aigis had eluded to them the nature of Minato's injuries, but luckily not their source. From what Yukari told me, Ryoji was the one who subtly convinced her to give false information rather than risk telling the classroom about the Dark Hour. It was a little too close for comfort.

At the lunch break, a whole swarm of people entered Toriumi-san's room to interrogate Minato. They all showered him in concern, or demanded to know why he was so badly injured, and who they might hold responsible and thereby commit proper punishment against. Among them were Kazushi, Hidetoshi, and a girl I vaguely recognized as being Yuko, according to Kazushi's testimony. Also present were people I later learned to be Nozomi (the Gourmet King), Kenji, Chihiro, a bizarre French boy by the name of Bebe, and a boy who wasn't necessarily pushy about Minato, and simply stood against the wall to wait for his turn. He had darker, curly brown hair and glasses, and seemed relatively quiet. But his worry was so plainly written on his face that he attracted my attention first.

"Alright, break it up, break it up," Toriumi-san barked, shooing away the crowd, "Get back to your classrooms, lunch's almost over." They shuffled out of the room, even the reluctant brunette, and Toriumi-san turned to Minato. "Now, Minato... I want to know exactly how you got that injury. I think you should report it to the authorities."

"It doesn't matter," Minato shrugged, a soft expression on his face, "It's my fault."

"No, it's mine," I interrupted, grabbing Minato's attention. He frowned.

"No, Ken..."

"Yes," I objected, getting Toriumi-san's attention. "Because of my clumsiness, you got hurt."

"No, Ken," Minato said, more enforcedly, "It isn't your fault. I misjudged the situation, and got us both hurt a lot more than we should have been."

"What exactly went on??" Toriumi-san demanded, getting frustrated. The students in the room were intently listening. "Who on earth did it to you, Minato-kun?"

"It doesn't matter," Minato repeated, a slightly dark and impatient tone entering his voice. Minato didn't like being interupted by anyone, and both Toriumi-san and myself were getting on his nerves. He was trying to make a point, and we weren't letting him. "Ken, it is _not_ your fault. It's not anyone's fault but mine. I'm lucky that you didn't _die_, Ken. But you know, it just _doesn't matter_ because now we're safe, and it won't happen again."

Minato's sentence was final, and he calmed down and apologized to both Toriumi-san and myself, even though both of us were more apologetic than he was. Minato really did think it was his fault that it all happened, and was beating himself up about it. I watched him as he worked, as he ignored Junpei until he needed the answer to Toriumi's pop quiz question, which he gave apathetically before returning to his work. I glimpsed over at Ryoji, who seemed a little distant himself, and still the same pink hue as the night before. Finding him to be under no stress, I redirected my attention to Minato, who seemed frustrated.

Toriumi's lecture began, and some students started to fall asleep. I looked at Minato, who was diligently working, and still grumpy, and made a decisive move. I leaned over against his shoulder, closing my eyes and snoozing. He didn't give me his gaze, but he did calm down and relax. I think I remember hearing a camera clicking. (This was later verified when I found a picture of me snoozing against Minato on Toriumi's folder)

I waited outside the classroom as Minato spoke privately to Toriumi, and watched as the cautious brunette from before paced a bit before finally approaching me. I blinked as he bowed rather deeply at me. "Excuse me, you're... Ken-kun, right?"

"...Yeah," I nodded, bowing politely in return.

"You're... Minato's adopted son? That's what the rumors say..."

"Do you need something?" I asked as gently as possible.

"My name is Keisuke..." he said, a little timidly. But the determination in his eyes kept him going. "I... I want to know what happened to Minato. I mean, it must be a pretty serious wound, judging from how he limps... he even seems to be on a strong medication..."

"What are you, a doctor?"

"I'm training to be," he replied, a little too quickly. "A-and, well, I'm worried about Minato. He's a special person to me. He's the reason I decided to be a doctor, really, because I didn't want him to disappear. I didn't want him to be hurt, and I later learned through him that I didn't want anyone else to feel that hurt. S-so, I want to know what's wrong... I'm worried about him."

"...it's my fault," I said in a low tone, sighing. "He won't let me say that. But it's true. He got hurt trying to take care of me. Just like my real mother and Shinjiro-senpai..."

"Shinjiro... Aragaki?" Keisuke asked a little hesitantly.

"Yeah. Both he and my mother died protecting me. And now mo--Minato got seriously hurt doing the same thing. I almost don't want to be around anyone anymore. I just want to disappear, so no one has to be hurt on my accord."

"Don't say that," Keisuke said in a surprisingly authoritative voice, "He must love you a lot if he got hurt protecting you. You must mean a lot to him. He'd be really upset if you were gone - if you died, he'd never be able to be with you again. I can't imagine that he'd get himself hurt protecting you if that wasn't true." Keisuke's words stung like saltwater on an open scar. I felt my heart sink into my belly, and I felt shame from it. It must have shown on my face, because Keisuke followed up by saying, "He must be relieved that you're doing alright... but you do have a bit of a stagger. Are you feeling alright?"

"Huh?" I asked. I had been a little shakey on my legs since my concussion, but no other signs were really present of a problem... "I'm feeling fine, just a little dizzy."

"Why didn't you say so?" Minato asked, making me jump. He leaned up against the wall next to me, and I carefully hugged him. "Hey, Keisuke..."

"Minato-kun," Keisuke began, his determination manifesting, "I want you to be careful, alright? I was a little scared when I heard what happened to you."

"What do you think is wrong with my son?" Minato asked. He wasn't at all interested in his own wellbeing...

"Minato, you're in worse shape than him..."

"I'm fine - I'll heal pretty quickly. A molehill turned to a mountain through the rumors. Now, what do you see in Ken? I'm seriously worried, since I can't really see what happened to him."

"Well, he's portraying some behaviors that indicate a concussion..."

"Yes, the doctors said that... but you have a special eye for it. What do you see beyond that?"

"The damage is probably increased due to stress, but I don't imagine it's going to be symptoms of a more dangerous type of brain damage..."

"Thank god," Minato sighed.

"But, I'm not a real doctor..." Keisuke argued, sighing a bit.

"I know, but I trust your instincts," Minato sighed, looking relieved. He then smiled. "You're rather special to me, too."

"M-Minato..."

"Hey, if I do die, I want you to be Ken's doctor," Minato laughed.

"That's not funny," Keisuke blurted at the same time I did. Minato just laughed harder, pressing his hands against the wall to support himself rather than using his weak leg.

"I'm fine, Keisuke," he finally sighed after the laughter, "I'll be back to normal stride in two days. Until then, I'm just going to rest and recouperate, and spend time with my closest friends."

"Huh. I haven't seen you spend time with any girls, now that I think about it, Minato-kun..." Keisuke said suspiciously.

"They haven't really had anything special planned, and I figured they would take longer to cope with me adopting Ken than the guys would," Minato shrugged. "Whatever. ...Want to go to dinner with Ken and I, Keisuke?"

"Y-yes, I'd like that very much," Keisuke laughed, turning pink.


	7. Chapter 7

Must... finish... female SLinks... (whimpers) Yuko is the only one...!! (cries)

And I'll probably loose the more hardcore yaoi fans and gain some het fans here, with Yuko. But, y'know, I think Minato is good with anyone. And I think all of Minato's friends are cute. Even Tanaka, in his creepy pedophile kind of way. And Mitsuko and Bunkichi! They're cute, too, in a funny way... they remind me of my own grandparents. Cute old people.

But yes. Minato wasn't joking when he told Kenji he didn't discriminate. (laughs)

Oh, and the 'discipline' thing... Akira fans will lol harder.

Anyway, I'm busy for a few months. Prom, blah blah, exams, blah blah blah, graduation, blah blah, trip to Germany, blah blah blah...

I may come back with a chapter or two before my birthday. We'll see - depends on when I come back from Germany.

+CHAPTER SEVEN+

Minato began to calm back to his usual self, inability to truly exersize his vocal chords and all, during the quiet, comfortable little dinner we had with Keisuke, who was also rather shy and quiet despite being comfortable around Minato. I blinked a bit as I felt a little numbness in the back of my head, about where I had been struck. I rubbed it, and it faded away again. I listened back into the conversation that Keisuke and Minato were having, trying to ignore a slowly growing headache.

"Which medical schools have you been looking into?" Minato asked softly.

"O-oh, I'm not really sure yet. I mean, I've got a list of schools, but I haven't really decided what to do. What about you, Minato-kun? What kind of career are you going towards? Are you going to be an artist?"

"Hmm? I don't know. I don't think my art skills are that great."

"Don't be silly!" Keisuke objected, "Your paintings aren't as good as your drawings, but your drawings are absolutely gorgeous!"

"I didn't know you liked to draw, mom," I stated, looking up at Minato.

"I didn't tell you? Maybe I'll draw you something," Minato chuckled softly. "What would you like me to draw?"

"Yay! It doesn't matter, I'd like anything..." I slowed down, a sharp pain ripping through my brain. The burning sensation remained, and I felt my mind go completely blank. Sounds faded, and all I heard was a loud ringing. Everything was either numb or burning, and the world began to spin. I felt a profound confusion, with nothing in my mind to be confused about, and dizziness beyond anything I had ever experienced before. The last sensible image I saw was Minato's panic-stricken face and Keisuke's hurried expression... the last I heard was Minato's voice, yelling something in a panicked tone, but I couldn't tell what it was. I groaned, mute to my own ears, pressed my hands against my ears in a futile attempt to stop the ringing, and finally blacked out.

_lapse_

When I opened my eyes, I was met with the face of a young girl I recognized from Minato's concerned harem.

"Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?" she asked. I tried to open my mouth to inquire as to where Minato was, but all that escaped my throat was a weak and scratchy groan. "Here, I've got a water bottle for you," she said, handing me a sports bottle and helping me sit up to drink from the plastic straw protruding from it. "Feel better, Ken-kun?" she asked. I blinked at her, the fog from my eyes slowly going away. I felt heavy, as if sedated.

"Who're you?" I asked, the slur in my voice enforcing my idea on the drugs. She smiled softly at me, giving me a little chuckle. Her skin was somewhat tan, and her hair was a mix of platinum and periwinkle, but it didn't seem unnatural, like the skin and hair of the ganguro girls. She was actually quite pretty, even though she wore boyish clothes that I assumed were from the Kendo club. Her identity clicked just before she introduced herself.

"My name is Yuko. Minato-kun asked me to wait in here with you while he and some guy named Keisuke talked to your doctor," she explained, her soft-but-firm brown eyes smiling softly. "I heard about you from Kazushi. I knew Minato was good with kids, but I never thought he'd adopt one. It's really cute. Minato must really love you, because he was really emotional when he followed you in here. The doctors tried to get him to leave, but he gave the one who tried to forcibly remove him a fierce right hook," she laughed, and I laughed, too.

"Mom's really tough like that," I agreed, and she gave me a big grin.

"He's your mom, then? That's adorable. Any particular reason why he's your mom and not your dad?"

"Well, with my real mom, I didn't know my dad," I said, shrugging. A slight dizziness made me sway, so I didn't catch the apologetic look in her face. "I lost my real mom. She... well, she was my mom. A lot of people have bad relationships with their mom, it seems, but I loved her with all my heart. So... when Minato decided to adopt me... it didn't mean anything to me to think of him as a dad, or a brother. He's special to me. I love him."

"So he's your mom," Yuko chuckled, smiling at me. She seemed like a very tomboyish girl, but she had a feminine charm about her. "Ah, you're such a lucky boy, Ken-kun," she sighed, smiling at me, "To have Minato love you so much as to give a doctor a good punch."

"Y-yeah..." I laughed, holding my head as I felt it spin again.

"Take it easy," Minato's voice came to my attention. I looked at him, and sighed, smiling at him. He came over, sitting on the left side of my bed, opposite Yuko. He brushed my hair out of my face, smiling softly. "The doctor said that you'll be alright if you take it easy. Your concussion was worse than we thought."

"...Sorry..." I sighed, leaning back into the pillows. "I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

"Wow, he's a lot more polite than the kids we ran into," Yuko laughed. Minato gave her a loving smile, similar to that which he gave me. But the pride in his eyes... was that caused by me?

"He's a sweet kid. He hates it when anyone else tries to take responsibility for his actions," Minato was boasting, and I never felt my self esteem higher than at that moment. "Ken, the doctor said that there wasn't any bleeding, so your concussion should heal safely."

"How'd he get a concussion?" Yuko asked, curiosity finally overtaking her.

"A bit of foolishness on both of our parts," Minato sighed. I noted that he wouldn't say that he believed that he was solely responsible. I could see in his eyes that he didn't want to get into another arguement with me, like earlier today... or was it yesterday? When I voiced this question, Minato gave me a soft chuckle. "It's only been thirty minutes, Ken," he responded softly, smiling gently at me. The light of his smile soothed the worries that clutched my chest. "The doctor advised that we keep you under as minimal stress as possible for just a couple days before you'll be back to normal."

"...Okay..." I sighed, feeling useless. That meant that I couldn't go to Tartarus to train, which also meant that Minato wasn't going, either.

"Did you two make friends while I was out?" Minato then asked slyly.

"Y-yeah, we talked a bit," Yuko said shyly. She was able to control her facial expression very well, I saw, but the blood rushing to her face destroyed her composure.

"Where's Keisuke-san?" I asked, curious.

"Waiting outside, with his father. He's waiting to hear how you're doing," Minato said, giving me a relieved smile.

"Well, go tell him," I said, shrugging. "You'll come back, right?"

"Of course," Minato ushered softly, giving my forehead a gentle kiss before heading out of the room. I was again alone with Yuko.

"Ah, he's such an angel," Yuko sighed, "He's got such power hiding behind that thin frame, but he's able to control his strength and channel it into the most delicate touches. But those delicate hands could keep a lion's mouth shut, I think. He's such a handsome guy."

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling at Yuko. "Kazushi said something kinda like that. But, instead of controlling strength, Kazushi said mom directed it. Or something. I dunno. I just thought it was funny that you guys have similar ideas of Minato."

"I don't know..." Yuko said meekly, turning pink, "I... feel pretty strongly towards him. He's been so sweet to me."

"I think... everyone loves Minato. And it's hard for Minato to pick one person to love the most, I guess..."

"But now he's got you," Yuko laughed softly, "And he can love you without worrying about anything. It must be special. I knew he'd be a good father."

"Minato's good at anything he does," I said, boasting of him just as he had of me. "I love him. And I don't care who else he loves, so long as he doesn't leave me alone. He could hurt me, betray me, or discard me, and I'd still love him. As long as he didn't leave me all alone..." I yawned, not really hearing Yuko's response. I sleepily noted that Minato had returned with Keisuke at his side, and pulled my lips in a final smile as Minato placed a gentle kiss on my cheek before I fell asleep again.

_lapse_

Over the next two days, I was surprised to learn that Minato didn't stay behind for me completely. Instead, he had people stay in the dorm with me in his place, which I assumed was his way of introducing his friends-with-benefits to me while he continued to train in Tartarus or socialize with more emotionally tender friends. Day one, I woke around noon, with just Junpei sitting at Minato's desk. I saw that he was flipping through a sketchbook, and I looked at him curiously. Koromaru, who had been laying on the floor, barked when he saw that I was awake and hopped onto the bed, snuggling with me. Junpei grinned at me, and said, "Minato's a pretty good artist. Maybe not as good as Chidori, but... I get similar chills when I see his drawings of me. You should see all of the pictures he drew of you."

"Really?" I asked, curious. I then quickly questioned, before being distracted, "Wait, isn't today...?"

"School day? Was. Aigis was in here while you were sleeping earlier, but it's Saturday, so it's only a half day."

"Right, I forgot..."

"Yep. There's other people still in the dorm, but Minato asked me to watch you for now, in case you needed anything. Like, lunch, or something," Junpei shrugged. He handed me Minato's sketchbook once he opened it to a certain page, and I felt my heart skip a beat. All over the page was little sketches of... well, me. Me, playing with Koromaru, or me, talking to Aigis, with the same facial expression that was a mixture of distraught, frustration and a visible sigh. Doodles of me, drinking from a mug, or sleeping on the couch, or on the bed. But one particular sketch caught my eye. It was a rough sketch that Minato used a mirror for. It was a sketch of me resting against Minato's side as he sat on the sofa, and Minato sure was lucky to be right-handed, as I was resting against his left side. The smile in Minato's sketch perfectly matched the real Minato's smile.

As I flipped through the sketchbook, I also found tons of other obsessive-looking collections of other friends. For instance, there was a collection of Hidetoshi doodles, with Hidetoshi's variety of faces that he made when he tried to hide how flustered he was; perhaps my favorite of his doodles was the one where he finally broke his shield and had given Minato a soft smile, because he looked very handsome in it. There was a collection of drawings of Aigis, and the few emotional expressions she had, two or three drawings of the old couple from Bookworms, and only a couple teasing drawings of Tanaka. There was a bold collection of Akihiko drawings, namely displaying Akihiko in combat, which made the boxer look graceful and brave, rather than the over-excited, over-tensed Akihiko we saw in Tartarus. I assumed these drawings were based on Akihiko's boxing matches instead. There was also a collection of Kazushi and Yuko doodles, all of which depicted the two as being very cute and very entheusiastic, and even a humorous doodle of Minato shoving his hands into Kazushi's sweatshirt pockets. There were drawings of Keisuke cutely fretting over Fuuka, or other people, of his meek blushes, or sudden moments of seniority and almost intimidating authority, which seemed to be spurn only by the spin of a die. Toriumi had a rather old collection of doodles, and Yukari didn't seem to have much herself (a lot of the paper was torn from the book at her section, for some reason, like it had been for Hidetoshi) in his pages. When I flipped through the Junpei pictures, Junpei took the sketchbook to stop me.

"Ahahah, that's about it," he said, turning bright red. "If Minato wants to show you... _those_ drawings..."

"Whad'ya mean, 'those' drawings?" I inquired. Junpei just shook his head and blushed.

"Y'don't wanna know, trust me," he mumbled, flipping past his section. I would have been curious if Minato was the one hiding it from me, but since I didn't know whether or not Minato would show me his drawings, I figured to let it go. Junpei handed me the book, and let me look at the next pictures. More drawings of Kazushi, and then the book led to people I hadn't officially met yet. "Y'can't even tell from his sketchbook who he likes best..." Junpei sighed, "Except you. Past the French transfer kid, there's nothing _but_ drawings of you."

"Really?" I asked, quickly flipping until I saw my basic characteristics. Minato seemed to put a lot more effort into drawing me, as I was one of the rare few in color. I flipped through most of the pages, carefully absorbing the sight into my memory, but stopped when I saw a certain drawing. When I saw the basic proportions of the unfinished drawing, it looked like me. But upon closer inspection, I saw Ryoji's eyes, including the distinctive mole. But that wasn't Ryoji, was it? I brushed away at the mole, to see if it was a smudge or eraser shavings, but it didn't move. It was a distinct characteristic in the drawing. I began to pick out details in the sketchy image - eyes barely colored blue, with what looked like the same colored pencil Minato used on his own hair, and a strange outfit that was striped horizontally in black and white, like a jailman's outfit. "Who's this?" I asked, curious.

"Huh? No idea. I asked Minato, too, but Minato just laughed and said 'a good friend of mine'."

"A... friend?" I inquired, my lips coiling in a slight frown. I turned the page, and saw a couple drawings of Ryoji. When I looked at Ryoji, it seemed like I was looking at Minato. There was very little difference between the two past the basic hairstyle and facial structure. The eyes were the same, the expressions were the same... it felt as if it was a pair of kindred, rather than two seperate people. And, of course, past Ryoji, more drawings of me. I began to feel embarassed. "Man, am I really that interesting to draw?"

"You're adorable," Junpei shrugged, "Minato's got a soft spot for kids. He loves 'm. Don't know why he loves them so much more than any other guy I know, but he does. I think it's cute and creepy at the same time."

"You don't like kids?" I asked.

"Don't get the wrong idea--"

"I don't care," I shrugged, "If you dislike kids as a whole, it doesn't matter. There's always exceptions. You don't seem to dislike me."

"Nah, you're a good kid. Other kids in general are kinda... I dunno, hard to handle. But I do like them, don't get me wrong. It's just hard for me to take the lead lately."

"I understand that," I laughed, beaming at Junpei. "So, who else was in that section you wouldn't show me?"

"Akihiko, Ryoji, Fuu--WAIT A MINUTE! No, kid, you're not supposed to know that! Forget I told you anything!! Damnit, Minato, you need to keep your sketchbooks separate...!!"

"What did I say about cursing?" Minato asked darkly, making Junpei jump. The look on Minato's face was intense enough to frighten Herr Hitler himself.

"I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to--"

"DISCIPLINE!" Minato roared, giving Junpei a right hook square in the jaw.


	8. Chapter 8

HAHAHAH. Remember what I said at the beginning of the first chapter? "This will be relatively short". Okay. I lied.

Ahah, well, I ACTUALLY finished Kenji's S.Link. Woo. So, the S.Links I've actually finished at this point are the old couple, Tanaka, "Maya", Akinari, Keisuke (sorta - missed the max on my first run-through), Maiko, Mutatsu, PHAROS (heart), Kazushi, Yuko (recently), Hidetoshi (HEART), and now Kenji.

Notice the distinct lack of boobs in that list. YEAH. So that's really why Minato has been more ghey than straight. Sorry about that. Men are just soooooo much easier than women in that game!!

Anyway, seriously, I need to shut up and type the actual fic now. I kept you all waiting for so long. (sigh) I'm drawing it out as long as possible, so I can actually finish these female S.Links... I shouldn't have posted this story until I finished it. (bitter laugh) Oh well... thank you for your patience. I'll spit out several drabbles in between completing the S.Links, so I'll do my best to tide you guys over. (like my RyoMina drabble or my AkinariMinato drabble. Go read those.) After this chapter, at least. Which is a lot of Kenji-lovin.

+CHAPTER EIGHT+

After the little misadventure with Junpei babysitting me, I was surprised that Minato still had someone stay with me the following day until one of the S.E.E.S. members came back early from Tartarus to keep an eye out during the Dark Hour. I woke up relatively early that day, blinking as I saw Minato getting dressed for a day out. I noticed a choker around his neck... when I voiced it, he chuckled at me.

"A friend of mine gave it to me. He claims I have no fashion sense," Minato laughed. I smiled. Minato didn't _need_ fashion sense - he looked good in anything. Or maybe he looked good to me because I was his son? That was probably the case for me. "I think it's because he wants to see me wear it. But the high collar on the shirt hides it... I still wear it every day, nonetheless."

"You like him that much?" I inquired, raising my eyebrows.

"I love all of my friends," Minato replied with a soft laugh. He strolled over to the bed, scruffed my hair and gave me a kiss on the forhead. "Now, you go back to sleep. He'll be here in a little bit. Aigis'll stay until he makes it."

"Oh, I see..." I nodded, observing the choker. "That thing makes you look like a girl," I determined. Minato gave me a playful, bright, cheerful and almost disturbingly feminine smile, pointing to his cheek.

"Am I a _pretty_ girl?" he asked teasingly, making me laugh. He then laughed nervously and said, "I did that a little _too_ well, didn't I? Goodness. I might become a trap, if I keep doing that."

"A trap?"

"In a few years, I'll explain that to you..." Minato laughed nervously. He gave me another farewell forhead kiss, heading out the door. "Love you, Ken-yon. Feel better, okay?"

"Where are you going, by the way?"

"Spending time with a friend named Akinari. He's rather ill, so it'll be one of the last times I see him... if he's doing well enough, I'll introduce you to him," Minato added, giving me a smile as he walked out the door.

"Alright, mom," I sighed, smiling.

About an hour or so later I woke a second time, my gaze meeting a boy that looked to be around Minato's age. When he saw me, he beamed, and nodded his head, "Hey, Ken. Minato told me to sit you for today. I'm Kenji."

"Nice to meet you, Kenji," I said sleepily, sitting up. "You're the one that gave mom the choker..."

"Your... mom?"

"Minato," I corrected, shaking my head to clear it up.

"Oh, I see," he laughed, turning a little pink. "Yeah, I gave it to him. Y'know. I figured it'd make him look good. I haven't seen him wear it, though."

"...Said he's been wearing it every day," I mumbled, yawning. Kenji turned red.

"Whaaaa? Why wear it under a high-collar shirt?? What a dork...!" he mussed, turning darker and darker by the minute. He then distracted himself by redirecting his attention. "So, Ken-kun... what's up with you?"

"Huh?"

"Why're you sick? Or... whatever. Minato's leg was all torn up, I hear. What happened to you?" Kenji asked, seeming more curious than concerned. I appreciated that.

"A concussion, or something like one," I said, shrugging. "I should be healthy enough to go to school tomorrow. So... how do you know mom?"

"Huh? Oh, Minato... yeah, I met him soon after he transferred. He, uh... helped me chase the woman I thought I liked... well, that's complicated," Kenji groaned. I gave him full attention, not aware that my staring was making him uncomfortable, "You see, I like... well, older women. And I thought for the longest time that I had a crush on one of my teachers, so Minato supported me... but it turns out, I think I only liked her because of her age, and other complicated, weird reasons... so I gave up on her. Ahah, it probably seemed pretty gay when I gave Minato that choker... that was right after I stopped chasing her..."

"But you love him, right?" I asked, thinking it an innocent question. The way Kenji's face exploded into brilliant shades of red said otherwise. I moved to get up, but Kenji snapped out of it and stopped me.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" he asked. I shook my head and gave him a confused look. He sighed, elaborating, "Minato asked me to keep you put unless you had to go. Do you want me to get you something, instead?"

"Oh... uh..." I thought, pausing for a moment, "Um... can you get me some milk?"

"Milk, huh?" Kenji asked, grinning. "Any particular way Minato fixes it for you?"

"Yeah..." I answered, turning a little pink. Minato didn't always fix it for me, but when he did... "He heats it up and stirs a little bit of sugar and cinnamon in it."

"That sounds good," Kenji said with a nod, "Sounds sweet."

"It isn't super sweet. You'd have to like hot milk to like it with the cinnamon and sugar in it."

"Yeah, I bet," Kenji laughed. "Alright, I'll go do that for you. Sit tight," he said, heading out of the room. He came back with a steaming mug, which smelled strongly of hot, milky cinnamon. "Smells good."

"Yeah," I agreed, blowing on it. I gingerly sipped it, jumping slightly at how hot it was.

"Sorry, maybe I overheated it..."

"Nah, mom heats it up this much, too," I assured him, swishing it around inside the mug to stir it cooler and blowing on it before taking another sip. Ah, much better. "Mmm... tastes just like mom's."

"Good, good," Kenji laughed nervously. I noticed that he was fidgetting. I frowned, giving him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" I asked, frown still on my face. His fidgetting increased.

"A-ah... well... I guess I'm a little shy, is all..." Kenji sighed exasperatedly.

"...But that's not how mom depicts you," I answered, raising an eyebrow. Kenji raised one in response. "In his drawings. And his writing. He wrote about how you guys met. You approached him right after he came to the school, right?"

"Well, I was different before I met Minato..." Kenji groaned, turning pink. The look in his eyes became distant. "He... went through a tough time with me. Or rather, he supported me during that time. I already mentioned my girl troubles... I dunno. I don't even really know what I like anymore. Maybe I just wanted to be dominated. O-or, maybe, I prefer mature people," Kenji spat the second excuse out hurriedly, as if to cover up the fact that he uttered the first. "B-but, yeah. In a way, Minato was my invisible helper."

"Your... invisible helper?" I inquired.

"You know, like a guardian angel or whatever. My parents use 'invisible helper' rather than guardian angel, so I guess I picked it up from them," Kenji said, his fidgetting fading and his distant look growing.

"What made mom 'invisible'?" I asked, curious.

"Well, not so much invisible as subtle," Kenji justified, a thoughtful look scrunching his face. "...Yeah. More subtle than invisible. He helped get me excited about her, and also kept me down-to-earth about it... then when she got married to someone else, Minato supported me until I recovered. I approached him at the beginning of the school year thinking I'd support him. But he ended up supporting me, hahah. And now my head's a big messy confusion."

"Why are you confused?" I asked, probing him further. He seemed a lot less difficult than Minato to pry an answer from.

"I... well, you were right earlier. ...I think," Kenji groaned, getting frustrated with himself. "...I... really like Minato. A lot. I think. I don't know what to think anymore. I get more flustered and excited when I think of Minato lately. I thought that was because he was a loyal friend to me, unlike Emiri... a-and I thought I just felt strongly because he was my best friend. But now, I keep having these dreams... and..."

"Dreams?" I asked, interested. Kenji was the first to mention having dreams of Minato.

"Y-yeah, dreams of me... and him... well, _dating_, I guess," Kenji groaned, and through that tone I understood that I would get no further details of his dreams. "And my heart races when I see him or talk to him, and I get a lump in my throat... either that, or I feel absolute relief, and just a sense of complete comfort... both are strange, but good feelings..."

"You _do_ like him," I laughed, beaming at Kenji, who grunted and shrugged, turning from pink to red.

"...That's not even funny, Ken," he finally growled, sounding sincerely angry. I stopped, staring at him.

"I'm not being funny, Kenji-san..." I sighed in response, "Mom told me that... he loves everyone. And when he said that, he meant that he could fall in love with anyone. _Anyone,_ Kenji-san. He likes girls and guys, he said."

"...Then he sure wasn't kidding when he said he didn't discriminate," Kenji sighed in a vain attempt to bring humor to his own demeanor. "What do _you_ think about that, Ken?"

"...I don't care who Minato falls in love with. If Minato loves them, then I know I'll like them," I said, not mentioning the fact that Minato had entrusted me with who exactly he would date. I stared into the curling steam of my milk. "I like all of Minato's friends. Except that one old guy... he's a little creepy. But if Minato likes him, he can't be all that bad..." I mumbled, mostly to myself. I didn't look to see what expression might be on Kenji's face. "I even like you, Kenji-san," I said, glimpsing over to him in time to see his face explode into a fiery blush.

"J-jeez, Ken, you're getting me all embarassed," Kenji groaned, averting my gaze to stare out of the window. "...I'm not normally all fidgetty like this. I'm not usually all nervous about what people think. But, when you and Minato say things like... well, _that_... things that make me feel better about myself... my ears get all hot and my fingers get cold and tremble. Kinda like what happened when I talked about or thought about Emiri, but a lot worse..."

"...So I guess you like me, too?" I laughed, smiling at him. He seemed to calm down, giving me a meek smile.

"Y-yeah, I guess that's what I'm getting at... I wish I could be that blunt with you and Minato. Seriously. I used to be really blunt with him. I guess that's because I wasn't thinking about dating him back then... jeez, I'm such a schoolgirl..." Kenji sighed. "Well, I'm going to go fix myself some lunch. You want something? I'll bring it up for you."

Kenji fixed me a big bowl of ramen that warmed me up from the inside out, just like the milk, and talked to me a while longer until midnight came around. The Dark Hour settled in, and Kenji transmogrified into a coffin, like every other normal person on the planet. I sat in the silence of the Dark Hour, ignoring the ringing in my ears that accompanied the green haze. I'm sure Minato expected me to be asleep by now, rather than awake and alone. Now that I was awake during the Dark Hour, I wouldn't sleep until it passed. And when it did, Minato entered the room, startling a now de-transmogrified Kenji.

"Ken, you aren't asleep yet?"

"O-oh, sorry, Minato. I guess I got caught up in talking to him," Kenji excused himself, getting flustered and wound up again.

"S'alright..." I yawned, rubbing my eyes. "I don't sleep well on my own, anyway..."

"Oh, Ken," Minato sighed, giving me a soft smile. He approached, sitting at the edge of the bed. His warm, soft hands ran through my hair. The calluses on his fingers weren't rugged and unpleasant, and were rather smooth. Minato's skin was soft. Like a girl's. His hands reminded me so much of my mother that I was reminded that it was Minato, not my birth mother. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Kenji-san kept me company. It would have been very lonely if I hadn't talked with him."

"Good," Minato ushered, giving my forehead a kiss. He then turned to Kenji and said, "Thank you for watching him, Kenji."

"N-no problem, Minato," Kenji said, getting flustered. Minato seemed to see it, with the knowing look in his eyes. But he didn't seem to react to it, and merely observed it. Instead, he gave Kenji a reassuring smile.

"We should hang out some time. It's been a while. Mind if I bring Ken along, or should it be just the two of us?" he asked gently, earning a nervous laugh from Kenji.

"N-naw, it's okay if he comes. I like him, anyway. He's like a mini _you_."

"A miniature me?" Minato asked, looking at me questioningly, then laughing. His laugh for Kenji was a more boyish laugh, surprisingly. "I suppose. I am his 'mother', after all."

"He's a sweet kid," Kenji followed up in an attempt to be blunt. Minato quickly caught on to what he was saying, and smiled brightly. I took a moment before I caught it.

"Yes, he is. And I'm glad you're getting along with him. That means a lot to me, coming from you," Minato said, tilting his head upwards a bit as he usually did when he spoke more masculinely. Since his shirt was a bit disheveled, the tilting of his head exposed the choker.

"H-hey, you're wearing the choker I gave you..." Kenji said, sounding surprised. Minato merely beamed at Kenji.

"Of course. You gave it to me," Minato simply said, making Kenji fidget.

"I-it looks good... yeah. But it's a little more girly than I thought it'd be... I g-guess it's because your neck is so thin..."

"Yeah, I do kinda have a girly neck, huh?" Minato agreed, giggling. It was strange to hear him laugh like that, because it could only really be described as a giggle. Minato's eyes glistened with that emotion I recognized but couldn't truly name. It wasn't like the loving glance he gave me, nor like the occassional, discreet lustful gaze he often hid. It was completely different. And Kenji seemed to crumble under it. "Thanks again, Kenji."

"Y-yeah, see you later," he agreed, nodding a bit too quickly, then dodging out of the room. Minato turned to me, the emotion in his eyes morphing from that nameless emotion to his loving stare.

"Now, Ken. Let's go back to sleep," he said, kissing my forhead. "Good night, Ken."

"G'night, mom..."


	9. Chapter 9

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn it's been a while, hasn't it? I've been writing tons of darn drabbles at Gekkoukan, since that's actually a lot easier... (beats self) but when I was surfing for Ken pics on 7chan (don't ask, don't tell), I realized, OH YEAH, I haven't done that in a _while_. Whoops.

In other news, I FINISHED CHIHIRO. WOO. Only Fuuka, Yukari, and Mitsuru to go...!! (sighs) But Chihiro is so cute... 3

+CHAPTER NINE+

The days were getting colder. My habit of wearing shorts was repremanded repeatedly by Minato, who was insisting I wear pants. I usually didn't loose the arguement, mostly because I had proven myself to be resilient against the cold. We were fighting harder every day, as our wounds were mostly healed. Minato fought more cautiously, but he was just as fierce and perhaps even more hateful towards the shadows. I could see bloodlust growing as he ripped shadows appart, and summoned Thanatos to tear them to shreds. Very rarely did monsters get a chance to attack me.

That didn't change how Minato was outside of Tartarus. The same, loving Minato, except the fact that our bond was a bit tighter than before. It felt good, just between us. It was a bit harder for him to take me with him to Tartarus, but he began to bring me along for most of his other tasks. It didn't matter what it was; if it was with Minato, I could be patient. Of course, I had childish moments where I became a little frustrated at Minato's routine, since he would occassionally disappear to the alleyway of the mall and have me sit on the bench until he was done.

"Come on, let's go back to the book store," Minato said upon his return, holding his hand out for me to take. Naturally, I took it.

"Are we going to talk to the old couple again?"

"Yep. I'm also taking you somewhere afterwards as a reward for being so patient," Minato answered, smiling softly. We headed for the bookstore, and spent some time there talking to the old couple. I really liked talking to Bunkichi and Mitsuko. They were very friendly and very kind, and Bunkichi's jokes made me laugh. Mitsuko gave me a book for free, and I read the cover, finding that it was a middle-schooler's book. I beamed that she trusted me to be that good with reading. The two were calling it quits early that day, and we left early. Minato took me up the stairs and into the sweets shop, where I happily got dango made with red bean paste, which was my favorite. Minato had green tea flavor dango, explaining that if he started eating something sweet, he'd give in and eat way too much. I laughed at the fact that it was his only true weakness. Sweets. I also noticed that Minato had purchased quite a helping of melon bread...

"Minato-samaaaaaaaaaaa!" a strange voice called, rushing up the stairs. I whirled around to face this abnormality, my sight instantly met with a foreigner's blonde hair. He was grinning ear-to-ear, looking excited and pleased to see Minato.

"Bebe!" Minato exclaimed in surprise. I looked at him, and saw a childish glee in his face. He lit up, and got up to greet the strange foreigner. Taking my second take of the guy, I noticed he was wearing a pink sakura-print kimono. "You made it back!"

"Hai, hai, yes, yes!" he exclaimed, hopping in happiness. "I am so glad to 'ave come back! I won't 'ave to say 'mata na' anymore!"

"Ken, this is a friend of mine from school. He was a transfer student from France, and had to go back after his aunt passed away," Minato explained to me. "Bebe, this is Ken. I'll introduce you two better in a minute. I'll go buy you something, you sit and chat with Ken."

"Ie, ie, no, no, you do not 'ave to get me something, Minato-sama!"

"Don't be silly. I'd love to. Besides, the line's too long and you just got here. I can go stand in line for a while longer. Go talk to Ken," Minato insisted, heading back into the sweets shop.

"Ah, so, your name is Ken? Watashi wa... I am... Bebe," he explained in what was... tenuous Japanese at best. "It is just as 'e said, I am from France."

"Wow. Your Japanese isn't that bad for a foreigner. Minato speaks really good French, I think. It sounds pretty."

"Hai, hai, yes, yes, 'is French is exceptional! I 'ave also 'eard 'im speak German, and 'e sounds just like zem! Haha! I am so glad to have made it here!"

"Was there something keeping you from coming back?"

"Hai, yes, zere was my uncle. 'e 'ad no intention of letting me come back to Nihon--Japan..." Bebe sighed, pouting. He was charming, in his own special way. "I made zis Kimono--"

"Wait, you _made_ that??"

"Minato 'elped me! 'e and I were in ze Fashion Club, after all!" he said defiantly. I gave him a curious look. While seeing Minato sewing wasn't completely absurd, it was still strange. He continued, "Anyway, I made zis kimono to show my uncle 'ow subarashi - wonderful - Nihon was!! It did not work completely, though..."

"Really? How'd you convince him?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I actually 'ad no intention of saying anything like what I said," Bebe said, turning a bit pink, looking away and smiling shyly, "I actually snapped and lost control of myself, and yelled, 'I love 'im!!' ...And zat is what changed my uncle's mind. My aunt did the same thing for my uncle, yes, by moving to France from Nihon! A-and, I did not know zat I really felt zat way about Minato-sama until I said it..."

"Is that true, Bebe?" Minato asked, startling the both of us. "...I'm glad. I always loved you, too."

"H-h-h-hai, hai, hai, hai!!" Bebe studdered, turning from pink to red. Minato pulled up a chair to the table and sat down with the two of us. "I-I-I-I did not mean to--"

"It's alright," Minato assured him, giving him a playful smile. With Bebe, Minato looked so much younger. He looked like a real teenager, rather than the youthful adult I usually saw him as. "Ah, Bebe, meet my son, Ken," Minato added, gesturing to me. Bebe looked confused, so before he could get upset, I filled in the most important detail.

"Ah, adopted son, that is," I told him, seeing partial relief cross his features. "When my mom died, and when my other mentor died, Minato adopted me. Now he's my new mom."

"You are 'is mother? Zat... is so kawaii! Adorable!!" Bebe fussed, going back from red to pink as he gooed over us. "It makes me feel much better..."

"What do you mean?" Minato asked, giving Bebe a curious look.

"Ah, well, zat means... well..." Bebe started, trailing off as he fidgetted with his fingers. Minato smiled softly.

"That I'm available?"

"Y-yes, in a way," Bebe confirmed, thinking about whether that was the right choice of words.

"It's up to Ken," Minato shrugged. Bebe looked at me, then at Minato, questioning in his features. "Whomever Ken chooses to be his second parent. Because I want him to be the happiest."

"E-even if 'e chooses someone you--"

"I love all of my friends," Minato interupted, "None more or less than any other. Only Ken is exceptional, because I am his... mother."

"Mom..." I ushered, moved. Minato gave a reassuring smile to Bebe.

"But you'll always be important to me, Bebe. I forged a powerful bond with you, and I don't intend to destroy that."

"Hai, hai, hai!!" Bebe studdered excitedly, as pink as his kimono, "It iz okay! I do not care who you love, it iz okay!!"

"I'm glad," Minato said softly, giving Bebe's hand a swift, tender kiss. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"If it iz you, Minato-sama, I can handle it!" Bebe said excitedly, beaming. He radiated an indeterminate energy that washed the area, it seemed, as I felt myself becoming as calm and happy as Minato looked. Bebe, recovering from the conversation, took a bite of the sweets offered to him from Minato. His face lit up. "Mmmm!! Yum! Zis is better zan before! It always tastes better with you, Minato-sama!"

"All of this sugar makes you sweet," Minato laughed.

"It's bad, since he's so addicted to sweets," I added, laughing mischeviously. I earned a short, embarassed glare from Minato, followed by a smiling, red-faced chuckle from Bebe.

"Oh-hoh, Minato-sama..."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Minato followed up, "I'm perverted, but not _that_ bad."

"Perverted?" I asked, "What was so perverted about that?"

"N-nothing. I'll explain when you reach high school," Minato dismissed hurriedly. "So, Bebe, what will you be doing next?"

"Hmm... I 'ave to go finish settling into my dorm..."

"You're staying in a dorm, too?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, it iz quite a distance from Minato-sama's dorm, but I do also go to Gekkoukan, so it iz okay," Bebe answered with a bright smile. "Mata na, Minato-sama! Ken-sama! I will come see you again!" he said, running off, the rest of his sweets in hand. I turned back to Minato.

"He's... energetic," I laughed.

"He's a sweet kid," Minato said, regaining his young-adult look, "He just radiates happiness. It was really strange when he was being forced to leave. He was very upset, and it bothered me. It's always sad to see him upset, because he tears himself up so easily."

"Poor guy..." I sighed, kicking the ground a bit. "At least he has you to count on. I don't know what I'd do without everyone in S.E.E.S. Without you."

"Aww, Ken," Minato ushered softly, giving my head a pat. "That's sweet. I love you, too."

"So. Why'd you buy so much melon bread?"

"Err, I didn't feel like making dessert for a while," Minato laughed sheepishly, "Though I want to get a few zucchinis to make... well, zucchini bread."

"Make... what?" I asked, making a face. I had eaten zucchini before, and knew it was a vegetable, but...

"Don't make that face," Minato replied with a grin, "My mother's apple-zucchini bread recipe is unrivalled. It's kinda like banana bread. Besides, if you drink your coffee black, why can't you eat zucchini?"

"I dunno... it's a texture thing, I guess," I replied hastily, earning a laugh from Minato. "...Your mom made it for you, huh...?"

"That's right," Minato said, a proud look in his eyes. He didn't look... at all sad to mention her. When I mentioned this, Minato simply ruffled my hair and replied, "It's because that memory of her is a happy one. I feel a little lonely now that she's gone, but... I can't think of everything related to her and be sad about it. She wouldn't have liked that. I look on that memory and smile. ...Promise me, that when _I_ die, you'll do the same."

"You wouldn't die, would you?" I blurted out before checking myself, and mentally cursed for doing so. Minato's soft, forgiving smile made my guilt rise.

"If it's for you, I'd die. And someday, you'd meet me on the other side. Death means separation... but the separation isn't forever," Minato told me gently, making me squirm under his gaze. Those wise words struck me hard, in a good way, stirring up strong emotions and committing the conversation to memory.

"M-Minato-kun...??" a shy-looking girl asked, obviously having just recently walked in on the conversation. She had an offended, worried look on her face. The glances she shot me were full of daggers. Minato's expression grew to match his previous words even more. He seemed incredibly mature, incredibly wise, just by the way he felt.

"Chihiro-chan," Minato replied smoothly, smiling softly at her, "This is my adopted son, Ken."

"O-oh..." Chihiro studdered, relief nearly sapping her of her energy, the hate that had been directed at me dissipating. "M-may I...?"

"By all means," Minato encouraged, pulling out a melon bread for her, "Here. It's on me."

"O-oh, t-thank you..." Chihiro studdered shyly, setting the books she had been hugging against her chest on the table. It was... a set of shoujo manga. I blinked as I looked at them. I looked back at Chihiro, who was timidly nibbling at her melon bread.

"...What's this one about?" I finally asked her, startling both her and Minato, earning surprised gazes from the two.

"O-oh, you read manga, K-Ken-kun?"

"I'll read just about anything..." I shrugged. "A lot of kids my age seem to like that adventure stuff, but I prefer more... calm reads."

"He often gets curious and reads girl's books and magazines," Minato laughed, smiling sagely, "He makes me think of a spy trying to understand his target."

"W-what? A spy...??" Chihiro studdered, probably misunderstanding it for something that I had yet to learn about.

"Or maybe more like a biologist studying an animal," Minato laughed a bit more, his sagely look slightly faltering. "It's cute. I remember one thing he told me... 'Girls have to spend a lot of money to look good, huh?'"

"W-well, that's the impression I got from the magazine!" I blurted, defending myself. I could feel my face turning bright red, though it cooled as Minato pushed my shoulder playfully.

"I know. But it was _cute_, and that was the point," Minato chuckled, "I know you'll come to understand women more as you mature, but right now, you're _adorable_ with your vagueness about them. It's all a part of being a kid. I wish I had that."

"...You didn't...?" both Chihiro and I asked.

"...Nope. After my parents were gone, I didn't ever get the opportunity to talk to my guardians."

"O-oh... Minato-kun..." Chihiro studdered, eyes wide and hands against her mouth in shock. The gasp she had emitted seem to worry Minato, who thought she jumped at something. "I..."

(...What a sick way for me to leave off. :D)


End file.
